When Will it Be Too Cold for Pests in Fort Worth?

Posted by Mosquito Squad

November 4, 2024

Pest control in Fort Worth is necessary for most of the year. Does it get ever too cold for pests here?

In a previous blog, we discussed how Texas scorpions are very sensitive to cooling temperatures, running for cover around 68°F. But most pests enjoy our mild fall and winter weather, having to haul it in only for a very short time each year. What is too cold and when does it happen in Fort Worth TX?

When will it be too cold in Fort Worth TX for rodents?

The average temperatures in the Fort Worth area are never too cold for rodents to remain active. Wild mice and rats are driven to a period of inactivity, called torpor, when ground temperatures are very cold. If we experience a period of freezing weather, they will enter torpor, in which their heart rate and respiration decreases, as does their core body temperature and brain activity. It is said that mice can survive in torpor with a core body temperature that reaches down to 68°F.

When will it be too cold for other pests in Fort Worth?

Aside from rodents and scorpions, a plethora of pests call Fort Worth home. These bugs are affected by temperature shifts in either direction. In addition to cooling fall and winter temperatures, these pests are triggered to seek shelter or into a state of inactivity, known as diapause, by shorter periods of daylight and food scarcity.

If it ever becomes too cold for pests in Fort Worth, it will be between November and March. Following are thresholds of what is deemed too cold for pest activity for specific pests.

Mosquitoes become lethargic at 60°F and wholly inactive at 50°F
Ticks become inactive at 40°F
Spiders become inactive at 40°F
Aphids become inactive at 45°F
Flies become inactive at 50°F
Wasps will become inactive at 50°F
Ants are less active when temperatures reach 50 to 59°F
Gnats will become inactive at 50°F
No-see-ums will become inactive at 50°F
Fleas become inactive at 46°F

Can Fort Worth pests freeze to death?

Yes, pests in Fort Worth TX can freeze if exposed to prolonged periods of cold, freezing, or sub-freezing temperatures. These include scorpions, wasps, fleas, some stink bug species, ticks, fire ants, and more. Some of the pests on this list must be exposed to temperatures much colder than are typical to Fort Worth, however.

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