Aptive Pest Control
Summer Pest Report '26
Using proprietary data from hundreds of U.S. cities, the Aptive Pest Activity Index™ identifies emerging pest patterns early, helping you stay one step ahead.
In this Summer Pest Activity Report, you’ll find predictions from our in-house entomologist and internal data for year-over-year pest growth and the top 10 U.S. locations expected to see the most activity. We’re overthinking summer pests so you don’t have to.
How Was the Data in This Report Determined?
The Aptive Pest Activity Index™ provides pest activity trend analysis based on Aptive’s proprietary data models. All predictions and forecasts are estimates based on customer reports, environmental data, trends, field observations, and historical patterns. All forecasts are estimates and may vary by location.
Top 10 US Locations for Summer Pests
According to the Aptive Pest Activity Index, nearly every market across the country is expected to see an increase in pest activity this summer versus last—but these areas are likely to see the largest increases.
Top US cities predicted to experience ant activity this summer:
#
City
Predicted Pest Activity Growth
1
CHARLESTON
- +79%79%
2
BOISE
- +78%78%
3
FORT WORTH
- +75%75%
4
SOUTH BEND
- +74%74%
5
TOLEDO
- +74%74%
6
COLUMBUS
- +71%71%
7
MANCHESTER
- +70%70%
8
DALLAS
- +69%69%
9
ATLANTA
- +69%69%
10
TAMPA
- +64%64%
Top US cities predicted to experience wasp activity this summer:
#
City
Predicted Pest Activity Growth
1
DALLAS
- +83%83%
2
TULSA
- +83%83%
3
MEMPHIS
- +83%83%
4
SAN JOSE
- +83%83%
5
ATLANTA
- +83%83%
6
FORT WORTH
- +82%82%
7
BAY AREA
- +82%82%
8
NAPA
- +82%82%
9
NASHVILLE
- +81%81%
10
TAMPA
- +81%81%
Top US cities predicted to experience rodent activity this summer:
#
City
Predicted Pest Activity Growth
1
TULSA
- +83%83%
2
SAN JOSE
- +83%83%
3
ATLANTA
- +83%83%
4
FORT WORTH
- +82%82%
5
DALLAS
- +81%81%
6
GREENSBORO
- +81%81%
7
ORLANDO
- +81%81%
8
TAMPA
- +81%81%
9
FORT LAUDERDALE
- +80%80%
10
CHARLESTON
- +79%79%
Top US cities predicted to experience flea activity this summer:
#
City
Predicted Pest Activity Growth
1
PHOENIX
- +91%91%
2
LOS ANGELES
- +88%88%
3
ORANGE COUNTY
- +87%87%
4
CORONA
- +87%87%
5
SAN DIEGO
- +86%86%
6
BAY AREA
- +84%84%
7
OKLAHOMA CITY
- +83%83%
8
DALLAS
- +83%83%
9
TULSA
- +83%83%
10
NASHVILLE
- +83%83%
Top US cities predicted to experience mosquito activity this summer:
#
City
Predicted Pest Activity Growth
1
PHOENIX
- +91%91%
2
LOS ANGELES
- +88%88%
3
ORANGE COUNTY
- +87%87%
4
TUCSON
- +87%87%
5
CORONA
- +87%87%
6
SAN DIEGO
- +86%86%
7
LAS VEGAS
- +86%86%
8
BAY AREA
- +84%84%
9
DALLAS
- +83%83%
10
TULSA
- +83%83%
Top US cities predicted to experience ant activity this summer:
Location
YoY Growth
1. CHARLESTON
- +79%79%
2. BOISE
- +78%78%
3. FORT WORTH
- +75%75%
4. SOUTH BEND
- +74%74%
5. TOLEDO
- +74%74%
6. COLUMBUS
- +71%71%
7. MANCHESTER
- +70%70%
8. DALLAS
- +69%69%
9. ATLANTA
- +69%69%
10. TAMPA
- +64%64%
Top US cities predicted to experience wasp activity this summer:
Location
YoY Growth
1. DALLAS
- +83%83%
2. TULSA
- +83%83%
3. MEMPHIS
- +83%83%
4. SAN JOSE
- +83%83%
5. ATLANTA
- +83%83%
6. FORT WORTH
- +82%82%
7. BAY AREA
- +82%82%
8. NAPA
- +82%82%
9. NASHVILLE
- +81%81%
10. TAMPA
- +81%81%
Top US cities predicted to experience rodent activity this summer:
Location
YoY Growth
1. TULSA
- +83%83%
2. SAN JOSE
- +83%83%
3. ATLANTA
- +83%83%
4. FORT WORTH
- +82%82%
5. DALLAS
- +81%81%
6. GREENSBORO
- +81%81%
7. ORLANDO
- +81%81%
8. TAMPA
- +81%81%
9. FORT LAUDERDALE
- +80%80%
10. CHARLESTON
- +79%79%
Top US cities predicted to experience flea activity this summer:
Location
YoY Growth
1. PHOENIX
- +91%91%
2. LOS ANGELES
- +88%88%
3. ORANGE COUNTY
- +87%87%
4. CORONA
- +87%87%
5. SAN DIEGO
- +86%86%
6. BAY AREA
- +84%84%
7. OKLAHOMA CITY
- +83%83%
8. DALLAS
- +83%83%
9. TULSA
- +83%83%
10. NASHVILLE
- +83%83%
Top US cities predicted to experience mosquito activity this summer:
Location
YoY Growth
1. PHOENIX
- +91%91%
2. LOS ANGELES
- +88%88%
3. ORANGE COUNTY
- +87%87%
4. TUCSON
- +87%87%
5. CORONA
- +87%87%
6. SAN DIEGO
- +86%86%
7. LAS VEGAS
- +86%86%
8. BAY AREA
- +84%84%
9. DALLAS
- +83%83%
10. TULSA
- +83%83%
Summer’s Top Pests Are Abundant This Year
The Aptive Pest Intelligence Index predicts an average increase in activity for the following pests this summer compared to last.
FLEAS
%
YoY predicted increase
MOSQUITOES
%
YoY predicted increase
WASPS
%
YoY predicted increase
RODENTS
%
YoY predicted increase
ANTS
%
YoY predicted increase
Schedule a pest control treatment to help prevent summer pests.
SUMMER ACTION PLAN
Help Protect Your Home From Summer Pests
The data tells us more pests are coming this summer than last. Here’s what Aptive’s experts recommend doing right now to make your home a harder target.
01
Eliminate Standing Water
A single female mosquito needs only a bottle cap of standing water to lay 100–300 eggs. Empty and refresh anything that collects water—gutters, planters, birdbaths, toys, and low-lying yard spots—at least weekly through peak season.
Source: Merced County,
https://www.mcmosquito.org/the-mosquito-lifecycle
02
Treat the Yard, Not Just the Pet
Adult fleas on your pet are only about 5% of an infestation; the other 95% live as eggs and larvae in soil, bedding, and carpet. Keep grass trimmed, treat shaded yard areas, and don’t assume a pet-free home is flea-free—wildlife seeds yards constantly.
Source: University of California Statewide IPM Program
(UC IPM), ipm.ucanr.edu
03
Find Nests Before They Find You
Wasp colonies build quietly in eaves, wall voids, attics, and under decks all spring before homeowners notice. Inspect these spots early. A nest discovered in July can already hold thousands of workers — and they grow more aggressive into August.
Source: BPCA.org,
https://bpca.org.uk/news-and-blog/the-lifecycle-of-a-wasp
04
Clear Your Perimeter
Trim shrubs and branches back from the home, remove leaf piles and wood debris, and keep a 12-inch clearance between mulch and the foundation. Dense vegetation gives ants, rodents, and stinging pests cover and a path inside.
05
Secure Food & Trash
Use sealed containers for pantry and pet food, and make sure outdoor cans have tight-fitting lids. Summer foraging is at its peak—ants are at maximum colony size, and ripe fruit and sugary drinks draw wasps to patios and gatherings.
06
Schedule a Professional Treatment
DIY measures treat what you can see. Because summer pests reproduce in multiple overlapping generations, professional technicians create a protective barrier and target nesting and breeding sites before populations compound past the point of easy prevention.
Summer Pest Predictions From Aptive’s Entomologist
“The winter of 2025–26 was the second warmest on record in the US. Large sections of the US, mostly in the western half of the country, experienced record-breaking warmth, 5–10°F above normal. That means those areas will likely see correspondingly high pest populations and may see longer-term increases in predatory species.”
—Isaac Rockwell, Entomologist at Aptive
Mild winters didn’t reset populations.
Where winters ran warmer than normal, pest populations never fully diminished. Overwintering mosquito eggs, flea pupae, and wasp queens survived in higher numbers, giving 2026 a running head start before summer even began.
Heat is the accelerator.
Once temperatures consistently hold in the 75–85°F range, lifecycles compress dramatically. Mosquitoes can go from egg to biting adult in 7–10 days, and fleas can complete a full lifecycle in as little as three weeks.
It compounds.
Unlike pests with a single annual generation, summer’s worst offenders produce generation after generation, each larger than the last if conditions hold. A population that looks small in May can be orders of magnitude larger by mid-July. The earlier you treat, the easier it is to keep populations from establishing in the first place.
Get Protected This Summer
Get Ahead of Summer Pests in Your Area
Aptive helps protect homes across the U.S. from common pests. Our summer treatments are designed to get ahead of the season, not catch up to it.
Aptive Press/Media Contact
Mila Zehntbauer • [email protected]