Weather's Impact on Insects: Rain, Temp, & Home Invaders

0.000000    4.400000     Welcome to Everyday Explained, your daily 20-minute dive into the fascinating house and
4.400000    6.240000     wise of the world around you.
6.240000    9.840000     I'm your host Chris, and I'm excited to help you discover something new.
9.840000    11.040000     Let's get started.
11.040000    14.480000     You know that feeling when the clouds gather, the sky darkens, and those first few
14.480000    17.840000     raindrops start to fall. One minute, the air is kind of buzzing, you know?
17.840000    20.240000     A bee doing its thing, maybe a fly.
20.240000    24.400000     Or ugh, a mosquito you wish wasn't there, then boom, the rain really starts.
24.400000    27.120000     And it's like someone hits the mute button on the big world.
27.120000    32.320000     They just disappear. It's like this tiny six-legged vanishing act.
32.320000    35.360000     Where do they actually go? It's something I think a lot of us wonder about.
35.360000    39.200000     So today, we're doing a deep dive into exactly that.
39.200000    42.800000     The hidden lives of insects when it pours, and what happens right after.
42.800000    47.840000     We've gone through quite a bit of research, some really cool observations to our mission.
47.840000    51.760000     To figure out why they seem to vanish, where they're hiding, and importantly,
51.760000    55.120000     why they often seem to come back with a vengeance once the sun comes out.
55.120000    59.600000     Get ready for some surprising stuff, maybe a laugh or two, and definitely those aha moments.
59.600000    62.160000     It'll change how you see rainy day, I think.
62.160000    65.680000     Yeah, and to really get it, we have to remember that insects are ectothermic.
65.680000    68.400000     You know, cold-blooded, that's key.
68.400000    71.520000     Their body temperature just mirrors the environment around them.
71.520000    75.280000     So their activity, their metabolism, even just surviving.
75.280000    78.800000     It's all tied to the temperature and humidity outside.
78.800000    84.720000     Rain isn't just inconvenient for them. It's a direct physiological challenge.
84.720000    88.560000     Great, that makes total sense. It's not just them deciding they don't like being wet.
88.560000    89.440000     Exactly.
89.440000    92.000000     So, okay, if they're not actually doing a magic trick,
92.000000    94.800000     what's the first thing most of them do when it starts coming down?
94.800000    96.160000     Is it just panic stations?
96.160000    100.080000     It's actually, well, surprisingly organized for many of them.
100.080000    104.240000     A lot of insects can, since changes in atmospheric pressure.
104.240000    106.080000     Really? Like a built-in barometer?
106.080000    107.120000     Sort of, yeah.
107.120000    109.600000     It signals that a storm's likely on the way.
109.600000    112.000000     Honeybees, for instance, they're a classic example.
112.000000    114.880000     They'll often just stay home in the hive if they sense bad weather coming,
114.880000    116.400000     saves them getting caught out.
116.400000    120.240000     Others, maybe like mason bees, they might keep foraging if it's just drizzling.
120.240000    120.560000     Okay.
120.560000    122.640000     But if it gets heavy or the wind picks up,
122.640000    124.640000     they're definitely heading for cover fast.
124.640000    126.320000     So they're kind of reading the weather forecast.
126.320000    127.280000     That's pretty smart.
127.280000    128.880000     What sort of cover are we talking about?
128.880000    130.560000     Like tiny little bug umbrellas.
130.560000    132.400000     Huh, not quite umbrellas.
132.400000    133.920000     But yeah, they find shelter.
133.920000    136.480000     The main thing is avoiding getting totally soaked.
136.480000    139.200000     Water makes them heavy, messes up their flight,
139.200000    141.680000     can even damage those delicate wings.
141.680000    144.720000     Imagine trying to fly wearing a wet overcoat, you know?
144.720000    145.840000     Yeah, no chance.
145.840000    148.720000     So you'll see butterflies folding their wings up tight,
148.720000    150.640000     hiding under broad leaves,
150.640000    152.480000     or clinging underneath flowers.
152.480000    156.400000     Bark beetles, they just crawl beeper into the park,
156.400000    157.520000     safe and dry.
157.520000    159.040000     Under leaves, under bark.
159.040000    159.520000     Yeah.
159.520000    161.520000     But sometimes, isn't that shelter actually?
161.520000    163.040000     Our houses.
163.040000    164.720000     Oh, absolutely. That definitely happened.
164.720000    167.280000     Because you definitely see more things crawling around inside
167.280000    168.400000     when it's pouring outside.
168.400000    170.560000     Right. And it's not just about staying dry though.
170.560000    171.600000     That's a big part.
171.600000    173.280000     Increased humidity outside.
173.280000    174.720000     The ground getting water logged.
174.720000    177.440000     Maybe their usual food sources getting washed away.
177.440000    179.360000     Suddenly, your house looks pretty good.
179.360000    181.680000     Especially for things like ants,
181.680000    183.440000     spiders, cockroaches.
183.440000    185.280000     Like a five-star hotel,
185.280000    187.120000     compared to a flooded garden.
187.120000    188.240000     Basically, yes.
188.240000    189.920000     Dry, stable temperature,
189.920000    191.120000     potential food crumbs.
191.120000    192.320000     It's a refuge.
192.320000    194.720000     Okay, but here's something that always blows my mind.
194.720000    196.560000     If most bugs are hunkering down,
196.560000    198.960000     how on earth do tiny things
198.960000    201.040000     like mosquitoes fly in the rain?
201.040000    202.480000     I mean, a rain drop must seem like
202.480000    204.320000     a giant water balloon hitting them, right?
204.320000    208.720000     Shouldn't they just get splatted instantly?
208.720000    210.160000     That's a really great question.
210.160000    211.760000     And the physics are fascinating.
211.760000    213.600000     It seems impossible, doesn't it?
213.600000    216.320000     But research, using high-speed cameras and stuff,
216.320000    219.120000     shows they can survive being hit by ring drops
219.120000    221.200000     thousands of times heavier than they are.
221.200000    222.640000     Seriously, how?
222.640000    224.800000     Well, it's been described as being like boxing
224.800000    225.920000     with giant balloons.
225.920000    227.680000     The drops don't really burst on them.
227.680000    228.800000     They're outer layer.
228.800000    231.360000     They're cuticle is super water repellent.
231.360000    233.840000     That plus the water's own surface tension
233.840000    236.480000     means the drop usually just knocks the mosquito aside.
236.480000    238.480000     It sort of glances off or pushes them.
238.480000    239.040000     Wow.
239.040000    239.280000     Yeah.
239.280000    242.080000     And they have tiny hairs that help repel water, too.
242.080000    243.840000     Even if they get momentarily engulfed,
243.840000    245.040000     their mass is so low,
245.040000    246.240000     they often just get pushed along
246.240000    248.480000     with the drop for a split second and then break free.
248.480000    249.280000     They don't fight it.
249.280000    250.960000     They kind of roll with the punch.
250.960000    253.840000     So it's not like a mass bug genocide
253.840000    256.160000     every time it rains, like you might think.
256.160000    257.280000     Exactly.
257.280000    259.520000     Evolutionarily, that wouldn't make much sense, would it?
259.520000    260.800000     Rain is pretty common.
260.800000    261.440000     True.
261.440000    265.040000     But you mentioned something earlier that's relevant.
265.040000    266.880000     That image of drowned ants.
266.880000    267.440000     Oh, yeah.
267.440000    270.000000     The masses of them washed up on a beach.
270.000000    270.880000     That was grim.
270.880000    271.520000     Right.
271.520000    274.480000     So while they're incredibly resilient to normal rain,
274.480000    277.200000     really heavy downpours, flash floods,
277.200000    278.160000     that can be deadly,
278.160000    280.640000     especially for insects living on or in the ground.
280.640000    281.760000     They're not invincible.
281.760000    282.960000     Okay, so there are limits?
282.960000    284.000000     Definitely.
284.000000    285.840000     But for those that can fly in the rain,
285.840000    288.720000     like mosquitoes, there's actually an advantage.
288.720000    289.440000     What's that?
289.440000    290.640000     Less competition.
290.640000    292.320000     If most other insects are grounded,
292.320000    293.920000     the mosquitoes that are still flying
293.920000    296.240000     might have easier access to food sources,
296.240000    298.160000     like blood meals.
298.160000    299.120000     Oh, lovely.
299.120000    300.480000     Strategic advantage for them.
300.480000    302.320000     Bad news for us, hiding from the rain.
302.320000    303.120000     Pretty much.
303.120000    305.040000     Okay, so they've either hidden away
305.040000    306.560000     or somehow battled through the storm.
306.560000    309.360000     What happens when the rain finally stops?
309.360000    311.600000     Why does it often feel like there's suddenly
311.600000    314.720000     an explosion of bugs, especially mosquitoes?
314.720000    317.760000     Yeah, that post-rain surge is definitely a thing.
317.760000    320.080000     It's less a party and more about biology
320.080000    321.760000     kicking into high gear.
321.760000    323.360000     All that rain means more moisture,
323.360000    324.960000     which a lot of insects love.
324.960000    328.960000     And for mosquitoes, it's prime time.
328.960000    329.920000     Because of the puddles.
329.920000    330.560000     Exactly.
330.560000    335.120000     Heavy rain creates tons of new stagnant water spots.
335.120000    337.120000     Little puddles, flooded containers,
337.120000    340.960000     clogged gutters, perfect nurseries for mosquito eggs.
340.960000    342.800000     And their life cycle is fast.
342.800000    345.840000     Eggs laid after a rain can mean a big jump in the mosquito
345.840000    348.240000     population just days or a week later.
348.240000    350.400000     It's a new generation hatching out.
350.400000    352.800000     Right, so it's not just the ones that were hiding coming back out.
352.800000    353.680000     It's new ones too.
353.680000    354.560000     Yes, partly.
354.560000    356.880000     But also think about the groundwellers we mentioned.
356.880000    357.920000     The ants and things.
357.920000    360.960000     Yeah, if their nests got flooded, they've been forced out.
360.960000    363.440000     Once the rain stops, they're desperately looking for
363.440000    366.400000     dry ground, new food, maybe a new place to set up shop.
366.400000    368.480000     Which might again be indoors.
368.480000    369.280000     It could be.
369.280000    370.880000     That's why you often see more ants
370.880000    374.080000     or maybe even things like sedapedes inside after a really heavy rain.
374.080000    376.640000     They're basically refugees looking for a dry spot.
376.640000    378.160000     Okay, speaking of ants and flooding,
378.160000    379.280000     this is amazing.
379.280000    382.480000     We have to mention the fire ant rafts.
382.480000    383.280000     Have you seen this?
383.280000    384.720000     Oh yeah, it's incredible stuff.
384.720000    385.520000     It's wild.
385.520000    388.960000     They literally link their legs and bodies together
388.960000    390.400000     to form a living raft.
390.400000    391.040000     They do.
391.040000    394.320000     It's this mat of ants, totally waterproof,
394.320000    395.600000     floating on the flood waters.
395.600000    397.520000     And they put the queen and the larvae,
397.520000    399.840000     the babies, right on top, safe and dry.
399.840000    404.000000     They just float around like this creepy crawly armada
404.000000    406.080000     until they bump into dry land.
406.080000    407.440000     It's phenomenal teamwork.
407.440000    409.520000     You almost have to admire them almost.
409.520000    411.680000     It's one of the most stunning examples
411.680000    414.320000     of collective behavior for survival, absolutely.
414.320000    416.320000     And it's not just about a skip, either.
416.320000    418.880000     Some insects actually rely on rain for reproduction.
418.880000    420.000000     They wait for it.
420.000000    420.640000     Really?
420.640000    421.520000     How does that work?
421.520000    424.160000     Well, take certain leaf cutter ants in Texas,
424.160000    426.720000     the winged ones, the ones that start new colonies.
426.720000    428.320000     They often have their mating flights
428.320000    431.440000     on specific moonless nights after a good spray rain.
431.440000    433.280000     Ah, the rain is the cue.
433.280000    434.400000     It seems to be.
434.400000    436.000000     Or think about rain beetles.
436.000000    438.640000     They live underground as larvae for years.
438.640000    441.360000     They only come out to mate during the rainy winter season.
441.360000    444.000000     The females release pheromones
444.000000    446.480000     and the males follow the scent in the damp conditions.
446.480000    448.080000     Wow.
448.080000    450.800000     So for them, rain isn't a problem to hide from.
450.800000    454.400000     It's the starting gun for while making more beetles.
454.400000    454.960000     Exactly.
454.960000    459.040000     For some species, it's absolutely integral to their life cycle.
459.040000    459.920000     That's fascinating.
459.920000    461.120000     How tuned in they are.
461.120000    464.000000     It kind of reminds me actually of another way they sense their environment.
464.000000    466.400000     The cricket thermometer thing?
466.400000    467.360000     Dolbear's law.
467.360000    469.200000     Ah, yes. Dolbear's law.
469.200000    470.000000     A fun one.
470.000000    472.480000     It's so cool because they're cold-blooded, right?
472.480000    474.640000     Their metabolism speeds up when it's warmer.
474.640000    475.120000     Correct.
475.120000    477.760000     Which directly affects how fast they can chirp.
477.760000    478.240000     Yeah.
478.240000    479.200000     So you count the chirps.
479.200000    480.400000     I think it's...
480.400000    482.960000     Count the number of chirps in 14 seconds, then add 40.
482.960000    484.720000     That's the common formula for Fahrenheit, yeah.
484.720000    485.680000     And that gives you the temperature.
485.680000    491.360000     So like, 30 chirps, plus 40, 70 degrees, roughly.
491.360000    493.200000     It's surprisingly accurate often.
493.200000    495.200000     A little living thermometer in your garden.
495.200000    496.960000     Who knew bugs telling us the temperature?
496.960000    497.760000     Amazing.
497.760000    499.680000     So, thinking about all this.
499.680000    502.400000     Bugs heading indoors during rain.
502.400000    503.680000     The post-rain surge?
503.680000    505.920000     It brings up a practical point, doesn't it?
505.920000    508.560000     What can you actually do to stop your home
508.560000    511.040000     becoming the local bug refuge after a storm?
511.040000    511.440000     Right.
511.440000    514.160000     Because nobody really wants that post-rain party.
514.160000    515.200000     Happening in their kitchen?
515.200000    515.680000     Yeah.
515.680000    518.160000     Good news is, there are definitely things you can do.
518.160000    519.200000     Prevention is key.
519.200000    522.160000     First up, and this is probably the biggest one.
522.160000    524.080000     Seal up the entry points.
524.080000    524.800000     Mm-hmm.
524.800000    525.600000     Cracks and gaps?
525.600000    526.080000     Exactly.
526.080000    527.200000     Go around your house.
527.200000    529.120000     Look really closely at the foundation.
529.120000    532.160000     Walls where pipes enter around windows under doors.
532.160000    534.480000     Use cock, weather-stripping, doorsweeps,
534.480000    535.920000     block those little highways in.
535.920000    537.840000     Even tiny gaps can be enough for some of them.
537.840000    538.720000     For sure.
538.720000    541.120000     Second, get rid of standing water outside.
541.120000    542.320000     We talked about mosquitoes.
542.320000    543.680000     Crime breeding ground.
543.680000    545.040000     Yep, so clean your gutters.
545.040000    547.680000     Empty out anything that holds water.
547.680000    550.720000     Old tires, buckets, flower pot saucers, bird baths,
550.720000    551.920000     need regular changing.
551.920000    553.360000     Don't give them those easy nurseries.
553.360000    554.000000     Good point.
554.000000    556.480000     Third, keep things clean inside.
556.480000    558.800000     Store food properly in airtight containers.
558.800000    559.920000     Wipe up spills quickly.
559.920000    561.600000     Keep trash bins sealed.
561.600000    562.960000     Don't offer them a buffet.
562.960000    564.640000     Makes your house less inviting.
564.640000    567.120000     And fourth, check your screens.
567.120000    568.880000     Window screens, door screens.
568.880000    570.800000     Make sure there are no holes or tears.
570.800000    572.320000     Simple but effective.
572.320000    575.360000     Those are all really solid practical steps.
575.360000    577.440000     And you can think beyond just sealing too.
577.440000    578.800000     Think ecologically.
578.800000    579.280000     Also.
579.280000    580.960000     Encourage natural predators.
580.960000    584.000000     Birds eat a huge number of insects.
584.000000    584.480000     Uh, right.
584.480000    587.360000     So putting up a bird feeder or a bird bath.
587.360000    588.240000     Exactly.
588.240000    590.160000     It can help attract birds that will naturally
590.160000    592.960000     help control the insect population around your house.
592.960000    594.720000     You can also plant things that attract
594.720000    598.080000     beneficial insects like ladybugs or lace wings.
598.080000    600.320000     They're predators of common pests.
600.320000    602.240000     Using nature's own pest control.
602.240000    602.880000     I like that.
602.880000    606.000000     It's about working with the local ecosystem a bit.
606.000000    607.680000     So when you really look at it,
607.680000    609.440000     from sensing storms before they hit,
609.440000    610.880000     to finding clever hiding spots,
610.880000    613.600000     or even those daredevil mosquitoes riding out raindrops.
613.600000    615.840000     And then using rain is a trigger for new life.
615.840000    616.400000     Yeah.
616.400000    618.320000     It's way more complicated than just bugs
618.320000    619.520000     disappear when it rains.
619.520000    621.840000     They're incredible masters of adaptation.
621.840000    623.360000     They really are.
623.360000    626.400000     The sheer diversity of strategies is amazing.
626.400000    628.000000     How they've evolved to cope with something
628.000000    631.040000     it's fundamental and sometimes dangerous as rain,
631.040000    633.200000     where one drop can be like a physical blow.
633.200000    634.400000     It's about resilience.
634.400000    635.040000     Absolutely.
635.040000    636.880000     Resilience and ingenuity almost.
636.880000    637.760000     Yeah, I should say that.
637.760000    639.040000     They find ways to survive,
639.040000    641.120000     avoid or even utilize the conditions.
641.120000    642.720000     So maybe the next time the clouds roll in
642.720000    644.160000     and the rain starts, take a second.
644.160000    646.560000     Think about that hidden world.
646.560000    648.880000     All those tiny creatures under leaves
648.880000    651.280000     in the ground, maybe even braving the drops.
651.280000    655.440000     All adapting and surviving in ways we rarely notice.
655.440000    657.760000     Maybe even right there inside your walls,
657.760000    659.120000     just waiting for their chance.
659.120000    661.040000     And that wraps up today's episode of
661.040000    662.240000     Everyday Explained.
662.240000    664.480000     We love making sense of the world around you
664.480000    665.680000     five days a week.
665.680000    667.520000     If you enjoyed today's deep dive,
667.520000    669.360000     consider subscribing so you don't miss out
669.360000    670.640000     on our next discovery.
670.640000    673.200000     I'm Chris and I'll catch you in the next one.