New mosquito could pop up because of flood water
Apr 13, 2023, 2:00 PM
FILE: Bycatch from a sampling of mosquitoes at the Salt Lake Mosquito Abatement lab (Laura Seitz/Deseret News)
(Laura Seitz/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — All of Utah’s water could invite a new type of mosquito to Utah. And it could mean more mosquitos overall.
Brian Hougaard, South Salt Lake County Mosquito Abatement District manager, says they are seeing water in places they usually don’t — and this brings a new species.
“We call them Flood Water Mosquitos and they’re a little bit more aggressive,” said Hougaard. “If something doesn’t flood for a while, and it gets flooded, this type of mosquito will hatch.”
We may also see an increase in the mosquitos that we’re used to seeing mid-summer.
“We expect a little bit worse spring than we’ve had recently.”
Hougaard says his district is gearing up for a long and busy season. He says it really ramps up in July or August, and that’s when West Nile Virus becomes a concern as well.
