Planet Earth isn’t what it was decades ago. It sure won’t be the same in the near future. Why? Some people like to argue that it’s all due to human activity. Much like the machines in the Matrix, they view humans as enemies of the environment.
To make matters worse, bugs also tip the scales in favour of this argument. Pest infestations are globally on the rise lately. And all recent projections indicate that the problems with most of them will worsen over time.
The culprit behind it all? Well, climate change, of course. But let’s take a deeper look at the issue first.
How Are Climate Change & Pests Linked?
It’s probably hot where you are right now. Probably hotter than any other previous summer, right? Sure feels like it. Most people are watching the thermometers and and are tired of getting anti record notifications such as “today’s temperature record has been broken”.
How is that connected to pest management? Firstly, rising temperatures mean some creatures, like insects, become especially active. Yes, this includes in terms of mating as well. Is there a surprise then why their populations are increasing globally?
Furthermore, warmer temperatures, especially during winter, are bad news in regard to pests and infestations.
Not only some invasive species, such as the Asian Giant Hornet, are able to overwinter in previously unthinkable locations (such as the UK and Canada, for example), but that allows them to have more generations each year.
If you’re not worried about them specifically, you might be more interested in termites, for example. Especially if your home isn’t termite-proof. Yes, termite populations worldwide are increasing at record-breaking rates. All thanks to global warming and warmer winters.
Now, think about the implications increased pest populations have on agriculture. As if super hot weather wasn’t bad enough for the crops. To speak, nothing of the extra tons of water required for irrigation during this extreme heat.
More funds will be spent on things such as pesticides to fight off the menace and ensure the harvest is protected. However, what impact would this have on the environment?
With governments worldwide enforcing more strict regulations and restrictions, chemical pesticides might become a tad bit safer, but they’ll surely get more expensive. Apply that to the rising cost of living crisis because that means more expensive (and chemically soaked) food.
However, not all is lost. Pharmaceutical and chemical giants worldwide are spending millions on developing effective biopesticides.
These insect repellents or insecticides, in some cases, will use things such as pheromones or natural means to ward off the bad bugs. Some will even mess with their mating cycles, which will suppress their populations, at least to some degree.
Pest Migration
Warmer temperatures also mean the usual pest’s natural habitats widen as well.
Just take a look at the tiger mosquito migration well into previously uninhabited areas of Australia. That poses bad news for the folks living there. Not to mention anything of the Asian Giant Hornet, which has recently invaded places like the United Kingdom and Canada.
Those are just some of the pests. We can also look into bed bugs, which are becoming another major nuisance worldwide.
First off, they’re born travellers. They can hitchhike on almost anything. This includes people’s luggage, clothes, and you-name-it.
If they can crawl on it, they’ll most likely remain there. And once they travel to a new place, be sure they’ll settle in. And it will take at least a few months until you notice them.
That’s, of course, when their colony will be well-established in your home, too. With increased mating cycles due to warmer temperatures and a constant supply of food, it won’t be a problem.
So long as the temperatures get warmer and warmer, we have to be prepared to also deal with more infestations globally. That’s good news for the pest control industry, as it ensures more business.
But for the Average Joe, who’s sitting home cranking the HVAC unit at maximum this summer and who’s about to discover he’s being invaded by an army of cockroaches or ants, it’s nothing short of a nightmare.
Residential Pest Management in the Age of Global Warming
The world’s tendency towards urbanisation is an irrevirsible historical process. Small cities grow into large ones, and sometimes large cities become megacities.
That’s especially true in emerging economies, which are also curiously the fastest-growing pest control market in the world. That’s because the bigger the place is, the more people it has the more pest problems it will have.
Population density is another determining factor. Pollution also contributes to pests becoming increasingly attracted to large cities. Finding shelter and food is number one priority for them. And it’s apparently much easier to do so in cities, then out there in the wild, at least for certain species.
Therefore residential pest management is a major issue and a health concern. Furthermore, more and more people are becoming environmentally conscious and demand green pest control methods.
The latest tech, including integrated pest management (IPM) and Artificial Intelligence, are also employed to achieve more efficient pest removal processes.
The future for the industry lies in these practices, and more and more businesses are shifting towards providing mainly green pest control services. That’s good news for the environment.
However, unless the main issue is solved, which is global warming, things aren’t likely to improve drastically. This means whenever there’s a problem, you will always have to rely on pest control nearby.
Some governments, especially in the EU, but also the UK and the US, are heading in the right direction, though. The emerging economies are also showing effort, but there’s no joint strategy, and consensus needs to be reached for positive climate change to take place.
Conclusion
Carl Sagan once called the planet a Pale Blue Dot. As far as we know, we’re the only habitable place in the nearby galaxy, which should both humble us and make us take care of the only home we have.
Moreover, when you think about it deeply, the world wouldn’t exist without insects. And if we have to be fair, most pests also perform some positive functions for the environment. It is what it is, even if some of us would hate to admit it.
Pest control will remain a lucrative business because there will always be pests to manage. Climate change, whether mostly man-made or not, will ensure this, at least in part.
Ultimately, humanity has to grow up. It has to take responsibility for its home and put restraint on greed and selfishness. Only then can all major world governments unite behind one single cause – our only home, planet Earth.
