Metro Mosquito Control seeing signs for more intense summer season

(FOX 9) - Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD) said spring hatch has begun and is off to a slow start. However, crews are bracing for an intense summer mosquito season.

Mixed mosquito-season outlook 

Timeline:

The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD) said it's roughly 200 seasonal staff members are now out and about daily until around October. They can be seen at thousands of sites around the Twin Cities by air and on foot. Crews are checking for larvae hotspots and treating shallow water.

"That’s where we’re applying those dry granules," said Alex Carlson, public affairs manager at MMCD. "Anytime that they go in the water, that’s when that bacteria disperses. And those larvae, which are filter feeders, they’ll absorb the bacteria, and that’s what controls them."

MMCD said they are expecting a higher number of human-biting mosquitoes in the region during this year’s peak summer months, especially in July.

"They’ve been extremely low the past couple of years because of the drought conditions. They’re basically dependent on previous years’ precipitation, so because last year was so wet, we’re expecting a four-time increase in the number of cattail mosquitoes we’ll see. The highest we’ve seen since 2020," said Carlson.

What's next:

MMCD said they have added several drones to their fleet to cover the seven-county metro area.

"This year, we’ve expanded our drone fleet," said Carlson. "The drones basically a mini version of the helicopter. It’s flying over those wetlands and dropping those dry granules, the exact same active ingredients that you’re seeing from the helicopter."

What you can do:

The agency said cold winters protect the region from more dangerous tropical mosquitoes. However, there is still potential for some mosquito-borne illnesses.

MMCD is reminding everyone to put on bug spray and wear light colors with longer sleeves.