El Niño = big bug boost this summer

Warm weather has contributed to an increase in ticks

Insect impact already being felt

May 25, 1998
Web posted at: 12:43 p.m. EDT (1643 GMT)

In this story:

• What to expect
• Related stories and sites

From Correspondent Gary Tuchman

NEW YORK (CNN) -- As the weather gets warmer and summer approaches, here's something else to blame on El Niño: an increase in insects.

For much of the United States, the wet winter caused by the weather phenomenon created perfect breeding grounds for ants, beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, termites, ticks and wasps and other bugs.

At the same time, El Niño created warmer than normal conditions in many regions, providing a further aid to bug breeding.

What to expect

The Entomological Society of America has issued its first-ever warning of a sizable increase of irksome insects this summer.

People shuffle past a parking lot covered with grasshoppers in Nevada

"We're going to see a year like we haven't seen in a long time," said exterminator James Savage. "I would say this would be a bumper year."

While a bumper year for bugs may be profitable for Savage, people who track ticks are worried.

"El Niño, directly or indirectly, is going to be responsible for the increase in Lyme disease," says Thomas Forschner of the Lyme Disease Foundation. The disease is spread through tick bites.

Ways El Niño's insect impact has already been felt:

• Nevada recently had a severe grasshopper infestation.

• In the Northeastern U.S. -- which had both a warm and wet winter -- mosquitoes appeared sooner than usual and homeowners are on early alert for termites.

To avoid being bitten or stung by bugs, experts advise:

• Using insect repellent.

• Wearing long-sleeved shirts and avoiding shorts.

• Avoid swatting bees and wasps.

Meanwhile, some local governments are on the offensive. In suburban New York City, for example, Nassau County uses machinery to restore drainage ditches that eliminate standing water.

"We've taken a proactive stance to preempt the problem before it develops," says Nassau County Executive Thomas Gulotta.

So on this Memorial Day holiday weekend, as the summer season officially gets under way, you've been warned. The insect invasion is just getting started.

The Forecast  |  Prediction Meter  |  Ground Zero
The Wet Coast  |  Strange Brew  |  The Trackers

Related stories:

• U.S. mosquito population seen booming this summer - May 24, 1998
• Grasshopper plague descends on Nevada, Arizona - April 21, 1998
• El Niño brings drought to Hawaii - May 25, 1998
• Niño is backing off, NASA pictures reveal - March 26, 1998
• El Niño batters butterflies just like before - March 26, 1998
• Study tallies worth of El Niño forecasting - March 23, 1998

Related sites:

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

• Entomological Society of America
• National Oceanic and Atomspheric Administration (NOAA)
  • What is an El Niño?
• El Niño Resource Center - Center for Ocean-Atmospheric Prediction Studies Library
• El Niño Facts - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.

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