Forget about the snake plague, it's BUG SEASON: Australia's scorching hot summer will bring out monster cockroaches and hordes of huntsman spiders (and they thrive in the sun)
- A hot, dry summer is set to bring out increasing numbers of insects and spiders
- Expert says insects are more active and breed faster in warmer temperatures
- Parts of Australia are already experiencing high volumes of redback spiders
- The nation is set to experience hot days and nights over the coming months
Australia is bracing for a scorching hot summer but it will not be just the warm weather residents will have to contend with.
Bugs and spiders will be out in increasing numbers as they take advantage of the sweltering conditions.
University of Technology Sydney's Bryce Peters, an expert on urban entomology and pest control, told Daily Mail Australia warmer temperatures meant more insects.
'Insects don't control their own body temperature, that's done by the ambient temperatures,' Mr Peters said.
'The warmer it is, the more active insects are and the faster they breed. Heat and humidity will certainly affect their populations.
Huntsmen spiders are a common sight in Australian householders but they are expected to be even more prevalent this summer (stock image)
'If we have a hot, humid summer we will get very, very high populations.'
Mr Peters said more insects will also mean more spiders, such as redbacks and huntsmen.
'Spiders are relying on the insect population to get their food. The insects then will support the spider population. The two go hand-in-glove,' he said.
Share this article
'The warmer it is, the better the insects will do. The better they do, the more spiders do.'
Cockroaches in particular love the hot weather.
'They will seek out micro-climates, so they're inside our homes. The heat definitely gets them going,' Mr Peters said.
Michael McNelis, owner/operator of BugStop Newcastle, told Daily Mail Australia he predicts the warm weather will make it a big year for cockroaches (stock image)
MrMcNelis said he has already seen redback spiders in larger numbers compared to previous years (stock image)
Already, residents are seeing spiders and insects in increasing numbers.
'Just from my sprays that I've been doing in the last month, I have already noticed redbacks (spiders) in larger quantities than in previous years,' Michael McNelis, owner of BugStop Newcastle, north of Sydney, told Daily Mail Australia.
'Normally they're a mid-spring insect that come out a little bit later on than what they are now.
'I believe that's because it's been so dry and the heat which has come early.'
Mr McNelis anticipated the warm weather will 'make it a big year for redbacks and cockroaches in general'.
'Last year was pretty big compared to the few years before that. It's been even more abnormal weather (this year),' he said.
This map depicts the chance of above median maximum temperature for October to December, showing that much of Australia has an 80 per cent chance of exceeding this
'As far as bugs are concerned, at the moment it feels like the end of spring rather than the start of it.'
He said while redbacks were the most common problem at the moment, cockroaches will soon emerge as a dominant player also.
'The cockroaches they're going into their breeding season now, the bigger ones,' Mr McNelis said.
'Customers are seeing one or two a week at the moment. I would expect in the next month or so, then they're going to be all coming out a lot more than now.'
Parts of Sydney reached a top of 29 degrees on Wednesday as the city got an early taste of summer.
Earlier this week experts warned deadly snakes are sliding into suburban homes at an alarming rate as temperatures rise across Australia.
According to the latest climate outlook from the Bureau of Meteorology, the above-average temperatures Australia has seen for much of 2018 are set to continue for the remainder of the year.
From October to December, people across the country can not only expect their days to be uncomfortably hot but temperatures overnight are also expected to soar.
Most watched News videos
- Shocking moment man hurls racist abuse at group of women in Romford
- Kevin Bacon returns to high school where 'Footloose' was filmed
- Shocking moment balaclava clad thief snatches phone in London
- Moment fire breaks out 'on Russian warship in Crimea'
- Russian soldiers catch 'Ukrainian spy' on motorbike near airbase
- Mother attempts to pay with savings account card which got declined
- Shocking moment passengers throw punches in Turkey airplane brawl
- Shocking footage shows men brawling with machetes on London road
- Trump lawyer Alina Habba goes off over $175m fraud bond
- Lords vote against Government's Rwanda Bill
- Staff confused as lights randomly go off in the Lords
- China hit by floods after violent storms battered the country
