Pavement Ants. Shutterstock.

What evidence do I have to support that claim? One of my monthly accounts, a manufacturing facility, was alive with pavement ants (Tetramorium caespitum) the other day. It was a mild mid-winter day and activity was noted as ants were entering through expansion joints in the flooring of (you guessed it) the cafeteria. Overwintering insects in homes and commercial buildings are starting to wake up also. I’m seeing more wasps and Conifer Seed Bugs ( See: New Hampshire: Seed Bugs Are On The Move!) appear in my gym. Already, I’ve had a few Brown Marmorated Stinkbugs flying around my home which I quickly dispatched for a nice ‘swim’. (See: Brown Marmorated Stinkbugs Are Permanent Residents)

It sounds as if mild weather will be trending for the next several days before a big cool down later in the week as February yields to March (what’s up with that?! ) No doubt more creatures like Asian lady beetles, cluster flies, and conifer seed bugs will be stirring and collecting at the windows of your home. The upside of this appearance is that spring is almost here, but with our luck we’ll have a repeat of last March with all that heavy snow. That would make three years in a row!!  So you may be thinking, why are these things showing up with it still being mostly winter like?

The sun’s angle is so much stronger now than it was back in December/early January. Buildings are warming, walls and attics are warming up. Insects are cold blooded and, as such, the ambient temperature has a huge effect on their activity. Also, increased daylight (photo period) is bringing insects out of their winter diapause (their natural metabolic slowdown during periods of low temperatures and reduced daylight). It really won’t be long before all of us, including insects, come out of their winter hibernation. The first exhibition baseball games of spring training are now happening, which is fantastic. See, spring is almost here!