CLEVELAND —
A warm, wet spring has mosquitoes hatching earlier than usual, and now the pests are itching for a taste of blood.
The current conditions are ideal for mosquitoes, said Zack Lustgarten, supervisor of vector control for Columbus Public Health.
“We’re definitely planning for an early season with the temperatures and the excess moisture,” he said. In warm pools of water, mosquitoes go from egg to adult in a week to 10 days.
These early-arriving pests are annoying but probably not harmful, according to Ohio State University entomologist David Denlinger. The bugs that have turned up in recent weeks are floodwater mosquitoes, the kind that are more pest than disease-carrier. The prime suspect is Aedes vexans. Cases of West Nile virus typically don’t crop up until late July and early August, he said.
There were 21 cases of West Nile Virus and one death from the disease in Ohio last year, said Richard Gary, state public-health entomologist. The mosquitoes that carry diseases such as West Nile virus and La Crosse encephalitis are still on the way and might benefit from leftover stagnant water in catch basins, backyard containers and the like. Culex and Aedes triseriatus, or treehole mosquitoes, are of prime concern in Ohio. OSU entomologist David Shetlar recommends rub-on repellent or bug spray to keep the insects at bay. Citronella candles and clip-on repellants often don’t work, as even a gentle breeze can blow the scent away and leave you vulnerable, he said.
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