• 5 Reasons Why There Are More Pests During Summer

    5 Reasons Why There Are More Pests During Summer

    Learn Why Pest Sightings Are On The Rise This Season

    5 Reasons Why There Are More Pests During

    Summer is the season of beaches and having a good time while we are being kissed by the sun. The problem is that the sun may not be the only thing to “kiss” us – bugs might as well. Pests seem to be everywhere during summer, but we barely see them during winter. Why does that happen? Our article will explain the reasons.

    1. High Temperatures

    People love high temperatures because this gives them energy. The problem is that the same thing happens to pests. Most pests cannot handle low temperatures, which is why they go into a dormant “hibernating” state during winter. It’s kind of like the winter blues, but for insects.

    Because summer temperatures are high, insects reach their peak and begin flying around everywhere. That being said, not all pests like high temperatures, which is why they will get into your home, where you have shade and cooling devices.

    The pests that thrive in high temperatures are generally termites, ants, mosquitoes, and the majority of stinging insects. Some will come around during the day when it’s warmer, others at night when it’s cooler – but they will all be affected by the high temperatures.

    2. Increased Food Sources

    Summer is the time of the year when food sources are all over the corner. During winter, pests that don’t go into a dormant state can only rely on humans and their homes to find food. For instance, rodents mainly rely on human pantries to get themselves through winter.

    Things change during summer, as pests may find food sources everywhere. From long and healthy grass to apples falling underneath the backyard tree, there is no scarcity of food around. And if pests have things to eat, they also are in the mood to breed.

    Many insects lay their eggs in fruits. For example, fruit flies generally lay their eggs within apples, which will typically hatch somewhere in summer. As the fruit-eating insect activity also increases, so will predatory pests such as spiders. Food abundance will attract hungry insects, giving them the perfect opportunity to thrive.

    Pests Are Active During Summer

    3. Increased Moisture

    Most of the pests that get into households and bother humans prefer humid conditions. It is exactly why Australia is such a pest hub – in certain areas, the humidity can go as high as 80%.

    Among the pests that prefer high humidity are termites, silverfish, cockroaches, mosquitos, and many more. Mosquitos, in particular, also need standing water to breed and can leave their eggs in or around something as simple as a kiddie water pool or summer shoes that gathered some rainwater.

    Many insects also need humidity to keep their exoskeleton moist, because once it is dried, the pest might die. As humidity levels are typically much higher during summer, it allows the pests to thrive as they pull out the moisture from the air. This increases not only their productivity but also their breeding rate, as they have the perfect environment.

    4. Lifecycle of Pests

    Pests are mostly cold-blooded creatures, which means that the temperature outside significantly affects their lifecycle. Most of them are laid during late summer or early spring and only reach maturity when summer comes around.

    Ticks, for example, lay their eggs in spring or summer, after having a meal. They will hatch and become larvae somewhere in the winter, turning into nymphs in spring. Those nymphs will shortly become fully grown ticks, which will lay their own eggs throughout spring and summer.

    Most pests including moths are like this, with the eggs hatched during winter or early spring, and reaching maturity when summer comes around. Some insects can lay eggs multiple times, stopping in late fall or winter once they usually die. As the lifecycle ends, the eggs will hatch and grow later on, once the weather begins to get warmer.

    Increased Number Of Pests On Summer

    5. Increased Number of People Outdoors

    Pests go where their food is, so obviously, if their food is gone, so will they. Even if we are dealing with the type of pest that can survive winter, they are still likely to go into hibernation – mainly because a lot of them will need people’s resources to survive.

    If the people are indoors, then the pests will have very few resources to prey upon. Ticks won’t be able to climb onto dogs and humans running in the grass, and mosquitos won’t be able to prey upon the people lounging on their porch or enjoying a nice evening outside.

    While pests do not technically hibernate, they do enter a state referred to as “diapause.” This allows them to go dormant and survive low temperatures, without requiring the need for food (which is scarce during winter). As spring comes back and humans start going outside once more, the pests in diapause will also come out of their dormant state.

    The Bottom Line

    Pests are more active during summer simply because they have the perfect environment for it. It’s warm, it’s humid, and there is plenty of food for them – no matter if we’re talking about fruits or humans. Like every species on the planet, they are active during a time when they may thrive.

  • Veronica Mars Movie: Going Ahead After All?

    Carlos Delgado of iFMagazine.com has spoken with Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas and has learned that a Veronica Mars movie may soon become a reality.

    ABC – the network that has picked up Thomas’ second try at Cupid (actually, they ran the first one as well) – has cut the Cupid order from 13 episodes to 8; this frees Thomas up with time to write a Veronica movie – however, he warns that writing the movie is half the battle. “Someone else has to pay for it,” Thomas says. “Joel Silver does have a certain pile of money. He called on me saying ‘Can we do this now?’ Kristen wants to do it. Joel wants to do it and I want to do it. For me, that’s the next project,” says Thomas, who seems to have made a career out of revisiting his past projects these days.

    Thomas reveals that the story is “70 percent broken” in his head, and that it would start soon before the Hearst College graduation. He’s spoken with Jason Dohring, Enrico Colantoni, and Kristen Bell about reprising their roles.

    You can read the full article here.

  • Rob Thomas Sets Up Veronica Mars Movie Kickstarter Campaign; THE GOAL IS MET

    Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’ll see that the talk of the day (beyond that Pope thing) is the possibility of Veronica Mars movie being funded through fan backing on Kickstarter. If the Kickstarter campaign raises more than $2 million… and, as of 6PM tonight, they have already met their goal!

    (And, yep, that means updating this site for the first time in four years!)

    Rob Thomas is producing and writing (of course), Kristen Bell is ready to appear… but it’s only even a possibility if they get to the $2 million.

    All of the information you’ll need — what they’re planning, how you can donate, what you’ll get if you do donate — is right there on the Kickstarter page, so if you want…

    CHECK IT OUT!

    If successful, we could get our Veronica movie by 2014. Since it looks like they made it, more support can surely only mean BETTER chances of the movie happening.

    More information should be in the next print issue of Entertainment Weekly.

    What do you think of this idea? Come talk about it on our forum!

  • Finally… Kristen Bell Lands The Cover Of TV Guide!

    The October 1 issue of TV Guidemagazine, that hits newsstands on September 27, features beautiful blondes of Heroes – Kristen Bell, Hayden Panettiere, and Ali Larter! Also inside will be TV Guide‘s “Ultimate Guide To Season Two” of the popular show.

    Finally, Kristen has made it onto a TV Guide cover after not appearing there in three years of Veronica Mars.

    There’s a preview of the cover at our companion site in the KryptonSite Network, HeroSite.net. You can see the cover at a much larger size in the HeroSite gallery.

  • UPDATED: Veronica Mars Cancelled?

    It looks like the inevitable news is on its way….

    The usually-reliable Kristin Veitch at E! Online has revealed that Season Three may be the last for Veronica Mars.

    “I’ve never been less certain of our fate. I’m afraid I’ve gone from cautiously optimistic to something less than that,” VM creator Rob Thomas told Kristin.

    Ratings for this season of Veronica, after a very good start, had fallen in the early 2007 episodes. The fact that a cheaper reality show such as The Search For The Next Pussycat Doll got better ratings could not have helped. The CW’s insistence on removing Veronica from the repeat cycle, so people may forget it’s still even on the air, can’t help much either.

    Stay tuned for more information as it becomes available. If Veronica is indeed cancelled, here’s hoping The CW at least allows them a good send-off.

    UPDATE: Moviehole.net has confirmed with a source close to one of the cast members that the show is indeed ending. Stay tuned!

    UPDATE #2: Kristen has posted a new post saying that Rob Thomas has written her again, assuring her that the show has NOT officially been cancelled, but also that the show MIGHT still have a chance with yet another new format. The Hollywood Reporter has the details:

    “Veronica Mars might be looking at a quick graduation from Hearst College. The fate of the CW’s cult favorite remains uncertain, but if the show returns for a fourth season in the fall, it might find the young sleuth in a different setting. “Veronica Mars” creator Rob Thomas has come up with an idea to fast-forward a couple of years and have Mars studying at the FBI Academy. (As a freshman at Hearst College, Mars (Kristen Bell) has been taking criminology classes and been looking to do an internship at the FBI.) Thomas is filming a trailer for the alternative fourth season of the Warner Bros. TV/Silver Pictures show, which will be submitted to the CW. The network’s executives ultimately will decide whether to pick up the series for another season and, if they do, whether to stick to the drama’s current plot line or go with the new version. If Mars goes to the FBI Academy next season, it will be a third backdrop for the character, who began her P.I. adventures while in high school.”

  • DVD Review: Veronica Mars: The Complete Third Season

    Warner Home Video will be releasing the third and final season of Veronica Mars onto DVD on Tuesday, October 23.

    The DVD contains all 20 episodes, some special bonus features including deleted scenes, a gag reel, some featurettes and webisodes, and, most importantly, theVeronica Mars: F.B.I. presentation which was used to pitch Season Four.

    Neptunesite’s Craig Byrne has had the opportunity to do an early review of this set. Read the review!

    And, be sure to get your copy of Veronica Mars Season 3 from Amazon.com!