New York City is currently experiencing hot and humid summer days, due to a heat wave reaching almost 97 degrees. If hot days weren’t uncomfortable enough, citizens are now coping with swarms of flying cockroaches.
The not-so-little bugs, that crawl under the city’s streets are spreading their wings and flying around the Big Apple to stay away from the humid weather. Experts have assured that it is a typical response to climate changes. American roaches are not flying experts since they work and travel better on the ground, but, the sudden change in the weather gives the bugs more energy and activates their flying abilities.
After citizens started reporting the bug wave, entomologists, and experts informed about the phenomenon and its causes. Srini Kambhampati, a biology professor at the University of Texas, explained to NBC News the main reasons for the happening.
“Because of the extreme heat, they are trying to find a comfortable place to live, that is why they’re on the move to find a cooler place,” said biology professor Kambhampati.
Several citizens have reported the flying bugs, especially in the subway during rush hours were humidity, body odor, and thousands of people meet. Although flying roaches might be seen as an anomaly in the city, is a common factor among the species.
A flying nightmare for Newyorkers
On Friday 12th, the website DNAInfo published an article under the name of “Roaches love this disgusting heat so much; it makes them want to fly,” making the whole city more aware of the bug wave caused by climate. In the published article, entomologist Ken Schumann explains the reasons behind the flying bugs.
“When it’s warm and steamy that seems to be what they like,” said Schumann.
Bug experts explain in the written piece that more warmth means more strength and that translates into flying roaches in the city. Nonetheless, the bugs are not experts at flying, so they don’t have a flying pattern, they just go. Texas and Florida are two of the countries that experience this bugs, although they call them “palmetto bugs” because they tend to lay in palm trees.
The article explains that NYC doesn’t experience swarms flying roaches as much, because of the significant amount of trash sitting on the Big Apple’s streets. Making it more easy and effortless for insects to obtain their food source. The bugs also tend to use their flying abilities in pinpoint occasions, such as looking or finding a breeding mate.
New York has a varied mix of roaches in the city’s underground, and now. NYC hosts the local American bugs and the German species of cockroaches. The German cockroach type prefers dishwashers, stoves, and utensils, while local roaches are found in drains and basements. It’s worth noticing that local bugs are the ones spreading their wings out of necessity.
Although the news about flying cockroaches has most people cringing, the bugs are most likely to travel short in the air and from a higher to a lower location, and their flying abilities might end after the heat wave stops.
Weather reports have informed temperatures might rise for another five days, which is unfortunate for the city’s power supply that has been affected due to the extreme use of air conditioners.
Source: DNA Info