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Tracking late-season mosquitoes in Minnesota
A warm start to fall is keeping mosquitoes buzzing around longer than usual in Minnesota. FOX 9's Se Kwon has more on the late-season mosquitoes and what to expect for the remainder of fall.
BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. (FOX 9) - A warm start to fall is keeping mosquitoes buzzing around longer than usual in Minnesota.
Autumn mosquito outlook
Local perspective:
The height of mosquito season peaked in early July, but numbers fluctuated this season due to weather patterns. September saw a surge with high numbers in unusual spots due to the heavy rain and overflowing river levels causing eggs to hatch. But, overall, the numbers have been pretty low district-wide this month, explained Alex Carlson, Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD) public affairs manager.
Carlson indicated Minnesota’s mosquito season is noticeably longer than it once was. "Studies actually said that we have about 13 days more of mosquito activity than we did 30 years ago," he stated.
However, mosquito numbers are dropping in the Twin Cities. Despite warm daytime temperatures, cooler evenings are slowing mosquito activity as the insect struggles to fly when temperatures drop below 50 degrees, which has been happening overnight, Carlson explained.
Big picture view:
This year, Minnesota also saw its highest number of West Nile Virus cases in humans in at least 10 years. Carlson stressed the importance for people spending time outdoors to take precautions by wearing bug spray even if nuisance mosquitoes are not apparent.
Residents should also remember that while mosquito season is coming to an end, ticks remain active until there’s a consecutive hard freeze.
The Source: Information was taken from interviews with Alex Carlson, Metropolitan Mosquito Control District public affairs manager.