How Do Drought and Extreme Weather Affect Pests in New Mexico?

New Mexicans are no stranger to drought conditions. This current one has lasted over five years now. Almost the entire state is dealing with abnormally dry conditions: ~50% is classified as being in severe drought within the last 12 months, with many more areas suffering from extreme drought. As average temperatures rise and rainfall remains scarce, it has an effect on the entire ecosystem from humans down to the smallest insects. So, just what’s going on exactly? How does extreme weather affect pests in New Mexico?

Do Pests Prefer Warmer Weather?

Some do, and some don’t. It depends on the pest. To put it very simply, some insects will succeed in extreme heat and dry conditions. These species will thrive with longer seasons, more generations, larger specimens, and more resilient populations. Other species won’t do as well, which will lead them to die off or migrate to more moderate climates.

Even if it doesn’t seem like one, this is a very big problem because our desert ecosystem is fragile. It’s evolved over centuries with a balance of flora and fauna in equilibrium. Any major change – like the disappearance of a critical insect species, or the emergence of an invasive new one – has the potential to create unforeseen consequences. 

For New Mexicans who love and take pride in our desert landscapes, the thought of them being permanently altered is a frighteningly real possibility.

Is a Grasshopper Invasion Coming?

If you’re from here, you might remember the “grasshopper invasion” that plagued the Albuquerque area in 2014. Falling short of an outright ecological catastrophe, it was nonetheless unpleasant, with a sizable impact on that year’s local agricultural output. 

The thing is, though, it may not have been a fluke. Another one could be coming, and it could be worse than 2014. Why? Because grasshoppers actually do prefer extremely dry conditions. With a warm winter and another hot dry spring, another big grasshopper year might be in the offing, and it could have devastating consequences ecologically and agriculturally.

Massive populations of grasshoppers are able to outcompete other insect populations for resources. Those insects in turn die out or go elsewhere, leaving the voracious grasshoppers to eat anything and everything. Grasshopper swarms are so ravenous that we have a special word for them that you probably already know: locusts.

At sufficiently large numbers, a swarm of grasshoppers becomes a swarm of locusts, devouring everything in sight. They have an obvious and immediate impact on the environment, but it doesn’t end there. By stripping the land of so much vegetation, they’re actually helping to reinforce the hot and dry conditions that allow them to thrive in the first place.

The Case of the Bark Beetle

It doesn’t take a dendrologist or arborist to know that droughts are bad for trees. Hotter temperatures and less water stresses trees. This is harmful to their health, but again, there’s a secondary effect that compounds the problem. 

Unhealthy and dehydrated trees are less able to produce sap efficiently. This hinders their ability to defend themselves from pests, which invites species like the bark beetle which can quickly spell doom for city trees. Throughout this ongoing drought, bark beetles have been killing off trees in Santa Fe parks en masse. This could offer a preview of what’s to come for the rest of the state if these conditions persist.

The Fragile Ecological Balance

The extreme weather conditions are here. Sadly, there’s little we can do to change what’s currently happening. We can, however, be aware of what’s happening and use our understanding to make smart decisions for the future. An example would be planting hardier trees in cities. If the weather really is changing and our region is growing hotter, unfortunately, it may not be possible for certain species that once thrived here to do so any longer.

Whatever changes the future may bring for the behavior or range of pests in New Mexico, you can count on New Mexico Pest Control to help keep pests out of your home, just like we have for over 70 years.