NPMA's Fredericks Interviewed About Midwest Spider Population Boom

Jim Fredericks, chief entomologist for the National Pest Management Association, was recently interviewed for a Chicago Tribune article about reports of large spider populations being observed throughout the Midwest.

The article noted that Chicagoans are taking to the internet to report a seemingly growing number of complaints about an above-average spider population this season.

Fredericks told the Tribune that mosquitoes are to blame.

“With spiders, we usually see a peak population in the end of the summer into autumn,” said Jim Fredericks, chief entomologist at the National Pest Management Association. “If we couple that with extremely rainy and warm weather … there are more flying insects,” like mosquitoes.

Chicago, and the Midwest more broadly, saw heavy rains and an increase in temperatures toward the end of the summer, leading to more mosquitoes, which means there’s an “abundance of food” for spiders to catch in their webs, Fredericks said.

Click here to read the entire article.

Source: Chicago Tribune