When temps drop in Kansas, so does bug activity. Which ones will you see this winter?

You can put away your citronella, the drop in temperatures in the Wichita area will also lead to the drop in outdoor bug activity.

“If you’re restricting to the outdoor environment, [insect activity is] going to be minimal because they’re going to be overwintering or be in their overwintering stage,” Raymond Cloyd, Ph.D. and entomology professor at Kansas State University, recently told The Eagle.

Wichita started experiencing colder weather last week, and while high temperatures are supposed to reach at least 60 degrees Fahrenheit the rest of the week, the lows are supposed to be in the 30s and 40s, according to the National Weather Service’s forecast.

Overwintering is what insects do to survive the wintertime. What happens depends on the type of bug, but two common ways insects overwinter is by hibernating or migrating.

Bug activity will begin to increase again once the temperatures climb, Cloyd said.

“Especially when plants are putting out foliage, many of these insects that are herbivores will be out when the leaves are out because that’s their food source, so there’s no benefit coming out before that time period,” Cloyd said.

Sedgwick County is looking more like autumn more every day as the leaves change color. One expert told The Eagle last month trees in Kansas are usually completely bare by Thanksgiving.

Bugs making their way into your home this fall

While insect activity will start to die down in the yard, some bugs will actually make their way into homes to find warmth.

Cloyd said one bug you might see more inside your home soon is the Asian ladybird beetle.

“[The insect] will be on the south side of the building ... congregating on the windows and corners of the windows and sit there for the winter time, and then when they’ve metabolized all their food they’ll get active in the spring and want to go outside,” Cloyd said.

The Asian ladybird beetle is often mistaken for the common ladybug, but there are differences between the two. Ladybugs are known for their bright red color, while ladybird beetles have more of an orange and yellow color.

Another common bug to enter your home as the weather gets cold is the cricket.

There are three main types of crickets, the house cricket, field cricket and camel cricket. Crickets are found in different colors, like black, brown and green.

Cloyd said mites are another common nuisance to look out for this time of year, specifically clover mites.

“That’s another one that’s been problematic over the years,” the entomologist said.

Clover mites are tiny red bugs that are commonly confused with chiggers.

Another type of mite, oak mites, are also red bugs often confused with chiggers. Oak mites are usually not an issue during the cold weather.

“In fall, they would typically drop down off the oak trees and then probably, as we know, overwinter or reside in the turf grass or soil somewhere,” Cloyd said.

Boxelder bugs are commonly attracted to warmth, so finding them in your home this time of year is very common, Cloyd said.

These bugs are about half an inch long and can be identified by their orange or red markings on a black body. They have wings that lay flat against their body, making an “X” shape. They are in the same family as stink bugs and cicadas, according to the University of Minnesota Extension.

While not insects, Cloyd said you should also look out for centipedes and millipedes, which are arthropods and also make their way inside.

Ways to keep bugs out of your home

To keep bugs out of your home this winter, Cloyd does not recommend using insecticides. Instead, he said to focus more on sealing cracks and leaks.

If you do notice insects have made their way into your home, Cloyd recommends using a vacuum to sweep them up and then releasing them back outside. For clover mites specifically, Cloyd says to create a barrier.

“Maybe put a barrier of like mulch or rocks around the foundation, to minimize some of the entry,” Cloyd recommends.

Sealing cracks can also help keep out other common nuisances, like mice and rats that could find warmth in your home this fall and winter.