More rain means more bugs. Critters out in full force during Arizona’s monsoon season
Warm weather and heavy rains do more than feed the plants and cool off Arizona’s hot summers. It also brings out insects and arachnids in droves.
Arizona saw heavy rain showers and thunderstorms over much of the state during the weekend. Monsoon season typically runs from June 15 to Sept. 30, according to the National Weather Service based in Flagstaff.
The seasonal rain brings out diverse desert creatures that wouldn’t otherwise survive in the dry heat, according to Gene Hall, an entomologist and manager of the University of Arizona Insect Collection.
The storms leave behind flooding, puddles and humidity, which is a breeding ground for many insects and arachnids like mosquitoes, ants, termites, scorpions, cockroaches and palo verde root borer beetles, according to Arizona Pest Control.
In addition to the palo verde root borer, Hall said the jewel scarab beetle, the rhinoceros beetle and green fig beetle can also be spotted during this time of year.
Maricopa County Vector Control told Arizona’s Family they expect mosquito breeding to drastically increase near flood waters after the storms.
“They’ll come out in the thousands and thousands as they hatch, but we’re not worried about disease with them, but they’re a nuisance and they’re really ferocious biters,” James Will, managing supervisor of Vector Control, told the TV news station.
The damp weather is preferable for spiders. They become more active after storms because there’s more of a food source, said Karen Long, the office manager of Bill’s Pest and Termite in Phoenix.
For tarantulas, monsoon season is typically the time of year they come out of hiding to look for a mate, Hall said.
“You’ll see males wandering the desert, looking for females,” he added.
And the wind carries spiders and their babies across the land, Long said, adding that they particularly thrive off the moisture in the air.
“Just like Charlotte’s Web, they catch a piece of web and they fly away from the nest,” she said.
The wet weather will impact the area and the bugs for weeks to come, particularly mosquitoes.
Long predicts mosquitoes will come out in “full force” next month because of moisture buildup.
She recommends people emptying any puddles of water around their homes to keep mosquito breeding down because they only need “a teaspoon of water to breed and survive.”
This includes tipping over old tires that may have filled with water or shaking off tarps around a person’s house.
Hall said people can also keep insects out of their homes by ensuring screens fit doors and windows and that gaps in doors are lined with stripping and kept shut.
Though increased insect activity can be a pest for some, Hall encourages people to enjoy the “diversity of life in the desert.”
“We are guests in the insects’ natural environment and fortunate to have a chance to interact with this most fascinating group of organisms,” Hall said.
This story was originally published July 27, 2021 at 4:47 PM with the headline "More rain means more bugs. Critters out in full force during Arizona’s monsoon season."
