Alright folks, I have returned. Today’s topic: what’s with the weather lately? We’ve been getting summer weather in fall, and the bugs are everywhere! 

Usually, there are a few trees around campus that attract a lot of bees. But this year, bees have gone out of control, infesting trash cans and taking over any food left out for more than five minutes. Lunchtimes are spent talking and swatting at the same time. 

That’s not even mentioning spider season, which is also coming back bigger than ever. Normally, September is the season when spiders have babies, and the really big ones come out. They are fat with small legs, and make webs everywhere, sitting around and being a nuisance to their surroundings, solely through their presence. Having arachnophobia is great!

This year, there’s more of them, and they’re a different kind. These aren’t just bigger, they have longer legs and love to move. One thing’s for sure, this year has been a weird one. The question is: why?

The bees are most likely coming because we’ve been having warmer weather later in the year. We’ve had a really hot summer, and we’ve been taking the heat for a while now. It seems to be that the heat is to blame. The question that arises from that is: why the heat? 

Now, I know some people might not like the answer, but I’m here to give the facts, not to tell people what they like to hear. The most logical answer: global warming! 

Alright, hear me out. There’s a name for what’s happening. It’s called the Greenhouse Effect. Basically, the carbon dioxide we breathe out and other gaseous chemicals-such as those produced by factories, smokestacks, exhaust from cars, etc- build up in the atmosphere. That’s not good. Even in fall, we’ve gotten 80-90 degree weather. This is what we call a “problem.”

Now, about the spiders. Generally, spider season starts in September, and runs into the first week of October. The spiders start having kids, and out come the fat brown ones with short legs. They make webs everywhere and just sit there, scaring everybody walking by. It’s annoying, but the spiders mostly keep to themselves. After all, it’s not like a pregnant lady would want to both A) overexert herself and risk hurting the baby and B) risk dying at the hands of a large human. They’d rather play it safe and chill out.

Now, we have big red and orange spiders with proportionately large legs, maybe even a bit longer than usual, just in time for Spooktober. They do make webs practically anywhere, and like to scare. When I walk to school, I have to walk in the bike lane to avoid them. I found one that made a web connecting my roof with my neighbor’s, along with their kitchen window, my garage, and the fence in the middle. As a person with oftentimes debilitating arachnophobia, I’m really upset about it. The question is… why is this happening more often now? The answer is surprisingly similar. 

The warmer summer has also been a tad wet. Hot and wet summers are ideal conditions for many small insects that spiders eat. More food during the mating season means more, and bigger, badder bugs who make babies. This also explains the increase in bird numbers, as many birds prey on the eight-legged demons. 

Basically, the increase in bees, spiders, and birds are the result of one thing: climate change!

Now, while it may seem obvious, there is a solution to bring their numbers back down: decrease emission! Better than that, what about doing things to try to reverse climate change! Not only will it bring down their armies, it will also stop killing the planet, which is definitely a bonus.