It’s high time to break out the bug spray.
Washington’s unseasonably cool, soggy spring has nurtured a torrent of mosquitoes — just as temperatures approach their typically oppressive summer levels.
“It was a lot wetter [this year],” said Mike Cantwell, chief of the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s mosquito control division. “That did give a sharp rise in the mosquito population in the early season.”
Mosquitos were “well above” their normal levels in April through June, he said.
“It was a highly unusual early season this year — at least the worst year in 10 years. At least the worst early season in 20 or more years.”
Besides ruining trips to the beach or golf course, mosquitoes carry West Nile virus, which can cause fever, fatigue and, in extreme cases, seizures and paralysis. While no Washingtonians have come down with West Nile this summer, three mosquito pools have tested positive for the virus, the D.C. Department of Health said.
“If you get bitten by a few mosquitoes, don’t sweat it. You’re not going to die,” said David Gaines, public health entomologist with the Virginia Department of Health.
Skeeters aren’t the only bloodsuckers to profit from the weather — ticks, which can carry Lyme disease, have been proliferating as well.
“The tick season lasts all summer long, but of course it peaks in June,” Gaines said. “Ticks are doing quite well.”
Gaines said a farmer he visited last weekend was unable to cut some of the grass because there was so much vegetation — and so many ticks.
“I pulled [a number] off me, and so did my wife and kids — their numbers were huge,” he said.
Though not all ticks carry Lyme disease, their bites can be irritating.
Because ticks and mosquitoes flourish in standing water, the combination of high rainfall and lower temperatures fostered the perfect environment until several weeks ago.
“The high population really comes from the amount of water that’s out there,” said Jeannine Dorothy, regional entomologist with the Maryland Department of Agriculture. “When you have as much rain as we have, you increase twenty-fold the number of places for mosquitoes to breed.”
As the weather has dried out, so, too, has the mosquito population — to an extent.
“It was very bad up until about a couple weeks ago,” Dorothy said. “[Wet areas] have dried out amazingly fast.”
But a drought doesn’t automatically drive down the skeeter count.
“We have different problems when there’s a drought,” she said, noting that creeks and puddles can develop in unusual places. “There are still places for mosquitoes to breed.”
If the rain returns, gird your arms and legs for battle — and a late-summer skeeter comeback.
“[There are] lots of eggs in [some] places, so if the rain comes back there could be another resurgence in the population,” Dorothy said.
“If it stays dry for the rest of the season, there shouldn’t be too much of a problem,” she said. “If you can predict the weather, I can predict the mosquito population.”
Though mosquitoes are pesky, they contribute to the area’s ecosystem since they are food for other insects and animals, said Joshua Smith, a Fairfax County environmental health specialist.
Officials are urging people to keep their guard up.
“We encourage people to fight the bite — and say ‘no’ to mosquitoes,” Smith said.
The National Pest Management Association even warned last month that foreclosed homes — especially those with pools — can be breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
So be wary of standing water. Douse yourself in repellent. Wear long, loose-fitting clothes.
And pay your mortgage.
BREEDING GROUND
Standing water is the breeding ground for mosquitoes, so many types thrive during wet weather. Data from the National Weather Service comparing the rainfall in the spring with normal amounts show a spike in April and May. The rainfall was collected at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Rainfall (in inches) March April May
Normal 3.60 2.77 3.82
2009 1.97 4.22 8.05
Source: Howard Silverman, senior forecaster, National Weather Service, Sterling, Va.
