Warmer Weather Means More Pests;
With Broader Range

By Barry Murray
Spokesperson, Truly Nolen of America

The impact of global warming temperatures on insects and humans is far reaching – forest and food crops could be affected and diseases spread by insects could have a wider range.

Nature has a delicate balance and it doesn’t take much – a slight temperature variation, or even a movement in the course of a river – to cause changes that move throughout an ecosystem. When the weather gets warmer, the deck gets stacked in favor of insects.

Here is a look at where America’s pests have been and where the future might find them:

Fire Ants

Fire Ants have made plenty of progress since being introduced accidentally to the United States in Mobile, Ala., in the 1930s. Now, the aggressive, and in some cases, deadly, ants are found in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, South Caroline, Maryland and Virginia.

Fire ants are highly adaptable and can survive temperatures as low as 16 degrees Fahrenheit. A 2005 study on the predicted range of red imported fire ants has them ranging as far north as Seattle on the west coast and New Jersey on the east coast within 100 years.

But as we’ve seen with fire ants, they don’t waste time moving. Last year, red imported fire ants were found in the Philippines after hopping a plane that originated in Texas. In 2001, they were also found in Australia – believed to have been introduced the same way there as the United States – by hitchhiking on a ship.

Avian Flu

Avian Flu is probably the most closely watched disease in a decade. Every new case is reported and health officials are keeping close tabs on its spread.

The strain of Avian flu that has grabbed headlines around the world is H5N1. The strain caused bird deaths in 1959 and again in 1991. In 1997, however, the first human victims were reported in Hong Kong. Of 18 cases, six died of the flu. As of May 29 of this year, there have been 224 cases of H5N1 and 127 deaths in Africa, Asia and Turkey.

In addition to spreading through birds, there is a fear that H5N1 can also be spread through flies, mosquitoes and fleas — based on research done on the spread of a much weaker strain called H5N2.

It’s more important to control and limit contact with these insects.

West Nile

West Nile Virus will continue to be part of the insect forecast in 2007.

West Nile Virus was first isolated in 1937 and was known to cause infections to humans in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The first known case in the western hemisphere was recorded in 1999 in the New York metropolitan area.

Since then, the disease has spread across the United States. Last year, 2,744 human cases of West Nile have been reported – with 85 deaths. The first cases were reported in May and reached a peak in August – but the reports kept coming until November.

Formosan Termites

Formosan Termites are highly destructive insects that are native to China. They are best known as the target of a $5 million effort by the Agriculture Department called Operation Full Stop that kicked off in 1998 in New Orleans. The Formosan Termites are responsible for $1 billion damage a year.

Scientists believe the termites entered the U.S. in the 1930s with ship that off loaded infested crates and pallets at Galveston and Houston, Texas; as well as Lake Charles and New Orleans, Louisiana; and Charleston, S.C. The crates and pallets were buried, giving the termites a perfect environment to grow and spread. It wasn’t until the 1960s that they were discovered, since their populations were low and they looked like native dry wood termites.

Since then, the Formosan Termites have spread to 11 states: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas.

Temperature plays a big factor on how these termites spread – their eggs won’t hatch if the temperature is below 68 degrees. With the rise in average temperatures, there’s no telling how far north the termites can go.

Forests and Crops

Warmer temperatures may allow some bug-eating bird species to expand their range northward, according to National Geographic, which may leave forests vulnerable to insect infestation.

A study published last year in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, found that temperature swings could tip the balance in favor of leaf eaters like certain caterpillars, which could affect crops and forestland.

As national spokesperson for Truly Nolen of America, Barry “The Bug Guy” Murray has over 20years of experience in the pest control industry. Barry brings an informative as well as unique and entertaining perspective to consumers’ pest problems in the 21st Century. Founded in 1938, Truly Nolen of America is one of the largest family owned pest control companies in the United States. Truly Nolen has 69 branch offices in Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, New Mexico, Texas and Utah. The company also has independently owned and operated franchises in an ever-growing number of territories including California, Florida, Texas, New York, Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Arkansas, and Missouri as well as Puerto Rico. For more information, please visit www.trulynolen.com.