CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — If you’ve noticed yourself shouting out loud, “Shoo, fly! Go away!” You aren’t alone.
Chief Mosquito Hunter in Corpus Christi, Lauren Harris, says cold weather doesn't eliminate bugs, but it sure slows them down.
"Well, this year we didn’t get that second freeze we've had the last couple of years that comes later in February or beginning of March," Harris said.
3NEWS Chief meteorologist Alan Holt confirmed we recently experienced the tenth warmest March on record.
"What we are seeing the most calls for are of course mosquitoes, flies and the big outdoor cockroaches, the palmetto bugs," Harris said.
According to Harris, it’s been an active season for bug hunting with the most activity coming from Port Aransas and Oso Creek area due to their tall grass. Padre Island is right behind them due to the humid coastal environment.
Danny Thompson has lived on the coast for 10 years now, and says his family has gotten used to the blood suckers, but it seems to be getting harder to enjoy their island paradise.
"Oh, its constantly, sometimes I feel like I’m at a golf course in the ruff looking for my golf ball out here," Thompson said. "I do feel like we know to expect these kinds of issues, but I do feel like it’s getting worse each year."
So, how do you keep these pests at bay when you feel like you’re doing everything you can?
"One thing you can control is your yard," Harris said. "If there’s any leaf litter left over from last winter or last fall they can really get in there and breed."
She warns that damp grounds and full trash cans can also attract gnats, flies and skeeters. The good news is home remedies do work such as dish soap and vinegar.
"As far as getting rid of the one or two you can’t seem to get rid of inside the house, but outside its more about some spring cleaning," Harris said.
Harris also said to be careful when using sticky fly traps because they do kill them, but they do so by attracting them first, so hang the traps places you don't want to hangout.