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Home  /  ants • Malaysia  /  El Nino in Malaysia driving pests to your home
25 March 2016

El Nino in Malaysia driving pests to your home

Written by #AskLoke
#AskLoke
ants, Malaysia family, pest control, property, public health, residential Leave a Comment

The warm climate occurring in many parts of South East Asia recently due to El Nino phenomenon has been the talk of the town.While most of us are discussing on how to cope with this blazing hot weather, many do not realise how this weather may attract pests into your home as well.  

What is El Nino?

For those who are hearing it for the first time, the El Nino phenomenon is a temporary change in the climate of the Pacific Ocean where an abnormal warming occurs on the surface ocean waters in the eastern tropical Pacific. Under this occurrence, countries that are dependent on agriculture and fishing would most likely be affected due to the warm temperature and decreased in rainfall.

Why pests will infiltrate your home during this season?

Heatwave is not the only concern that we should be aware of, similar to humans pests are also affected by the weather causing their behaviour to change. Pests such as ants will seek shelter from the heat, that is why you may be seeing more ants in your home than usual. Besides that, we’ve observed a steady increase of enquiries on common household pests of about 26%* more since the beginning of this phenomenon. For this reason, you should watch out and be more diligent on protecting your home and your loved ones from pests invasion.

Why ants are the most plausible pest to appear?

Insects like ants are likely to be more active during this period for a few reasons. Changes in the climate affect the soil temperature and moisture levels and this directly affects the way ecosystems function, bringing consequences to ants’ habitat. As ants are omnivorous, they will need to search for other food sources when heat slows down the crops and plants productivity. With limited food available, ants are likely to invade your personal space for food and build nests closer to food supplies and water. Hence, when the temperature is hot enough to fry eggs on the surface, it leaves the poor ants thirsty and hungry. So, it is not surprising to see ants visiting your home more frequently during this period. Potential infestation may occur and ants can be difficult to budge once they invade your property.

Besides that, ants can cause discomfort to our body when they bite. Worse still, it is possible for ants to contaminate your food when they crawl over because you don’t know where they have been foraging before.

While we have no control over the weather, there are a few precautions we can take to reduce the consequences:

  • Be sure to always store your foods in air-tight container and keep your home clean at all times.
  • Kitchen and toilet are ants’ favourite spots due to the availability of food and water. Hence, always remember to keep those areas clean and dry at all times.
  • Homeowners are advised to seal all cracks and crevices around doors and window frames to block off potential entry points for ants.

Alternatively, homeowners may always opt to get a thorough inspection done by pest control experts if this still concerns you after taking safety precautions. Having a professional to look into your pest problem is equally important as choosing the doctor for your family’s healthcare.

The Rentokil Year Round Protection Plan (RYRPP) offers you the peace of mind knowing that your home is protected against pests and the promise that we’ll handle any concerns whenever and as often as they arise.

Don’t let ants invade your property! Call us today at 1300 881 911 or contact us online to learn more about our ant control solutions.

*Data on enquiries is internal observation in Rentokil Initial Malaysia only.

#AskLoke
#AskLoke

Loke joined Rentokil Initial Malaysia since 2006 with a BSc degree in Biology. He continues to learn and hone his technical knowledge on pest biology as he rises through the ranks from Field Biologist to Technical Manager, where he leads a team of pest experts under his wing. On top of that, his other responsibilities include carrying out in-depth inspections at our customer’s premises, identify the root of any pest problem and make highly practical recommendations to deal with the situation.

Loke is also the pioneer in helping through the digital transformation journey at Rentokil Initial Malaysia innovates our way of working, including myRentokil Online Reporting.

When Loke is not dabbling with pesky bugs, he can be found sharing his wealth of pest knowledge at conferences such as Food Safety Inspection Training, Global Food Safety Conference, etc. If you have any pest concerns fret not, just #AskLoke

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