Floodwater mosquitoes hit hard in northern Utah
Aug 28, 2024, 8:00 PM
Vector control intern Abby Pickett sorts mosquitoes by type at the Salt Lake Mosquito Abatement laboratory in Salt Lake City on Thursday, May 27, 2021. (Laura Seitz/Deseret News)
(Laura Seitz/Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY — If you’ve been feeling the sting of a lot of mosquitoes, you’re not alone. Cities and schools are calling for extra treatment as an influx of floodwater mosquitoes has hit northern Utah.
“We’re getting a lot of calls from schools to have us come spray their playgrounds,” said Gary Hatch, Manager for Davis Mosquito Abatement District.
August is typically a big time for mosquitoes under normal conditions. But recent weather has made it so that the insects are multiplying at a much higher rate.
“This has been a very advantageous weather pattern for these mosquitoes,” said Hatch. “All this rain, heavy flooding, and then this cool-down that enables them to travel.”
Mosquitoes need water to lay their eggs on, but this breed of mosquitoes can still travel up to 25 miles even if you don’t live near marshy or flooded areas.
“They will bite all day long, and they are aggressive biters,” said Hatch.
The good news is that this breed doesn’t carry West Nile virus. Those mosquitoes come out around dusk and bite during the nighttime.
This floodwater mosquito influx we’re seeing should start to ease within the next week.
