Get Ready for More Mosquitoes

If you’ve taken a walk at dusk, tried to weed in the garden, or just generally been outside this summer, you may have noticed an unpleasant change. The mosquito population in Southeast Michigan has seemingly exploded. Unfortunately, due to a perfect storm of hot weather and plenty of rain, it looks like we’re in for one of the worst mosquito seasons in years.

Edward Walker, an entomology professor at Michigan State University and self-proclaimed “mosquito guy” has noticed this influx and says we should get used to it. Professor Walker studies mosquitoes and vector-borne diseases like those transmitted by mosquitoes and said these pesky bugs are likely to be swarming in the millions across Michigan throughout the rest of the summer.

The mosquitoes we’re seeing in Michigan right now are a species known as summer floodwater mosquitoes. According to Walker, the females lay eggs in low-lying, grassy areas along roadways, ditches, and other potentially swampy areas throughout their entire 3-week lifespan. This means a female can lay hundreds of eggs, possibly up to six different times, before they die. Then, when the rain comes and these grassy areas fill with water, the eggs hatch, and mosquitoes emerge as adults within about 10 days.

The catch here, and the reason we’re seeing so many mosquitoes now, is that the eggs can survive even if the rains don’t come for months or even years. Earlier this year, Michigan experienced drought-like conditions, so when the female mosquitoes laid their eggs, not all of them hatched. Some just sat dormant waiting for the rain. And waiting. And waiting. And during that time, more mosquito eggs were laid in these same areas. When the rain finally came in force during late June, these areas were flooded and all these mosquitoes were able to hatch. This not only created a huge influx of mosquitoes at that moment but also paved the way for a mosquito tsunami throughout the rest of the summer because the new mosquitoes are now able to lay their own eggs and continue the cycle.

According to Walker, “I  can’t put my finger on the exact number of mosquitoes we have right now – that would just be an enormous number, but we went from virtually no mosquitoes – at least of this kind, the pest kind – to a huge population in a very short period of time.”

Unless we see another extreme rainfall shortage, property owners in Michigan can expect to see this huge mosquito population sustain itself through the rest of the summer. While this species of mosquito is not known to carry some of the more common mosquito-borne illnesses like West Nile or EEE, they make outdoor activities unenjoyable.

If you’re interested in protecting your property from mosquitoes during this historic mosquito season, call Mosquito One. We proudly serve the communities in Livingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, Washtenaw, and Wayne counties in Michigan, as well as Lucas and Wood Counties in Ohio. Ready to act now to protect your home, business, or other areas? Schedule your mosquito treatment spray online and enjoy your yard mosquito-free.

2188