Recent wet weather could lead to increase in mosquito population this summer
The Brief
The recent wet weather could lead to even more mosquitoes this year than usual, an expert said.
He's urging everyone to dump standing water.
WASHINGTON - All that rain we've had lately? You may not like it – but it turns out a certain type of blood-sucking insect does.
The backstory
"I think this is the perfect storm for breeding mosquitoes," said University of Maryland Professor Emeritus Michael J. Raupp, also known as "The Bug Guy."
Raupp said that because of the recent weather, as temperatures rise, the generation time for mosquitoes will shrink, from about two-plus weeks to roughly one week.
"That means with all this standing water, it's going to be the perfect conditions for mosquitoes to breed, and with mosquitoes breeding, there's gonna be biting," Raupp explained. "There will be blood, and it will come soon."
What you can do
As a result, Raupp is urging everyone to dump all the standing water they can find.
"I've got a five-gallon pail behind my tool shed. It is full of water," he said. "If I don't drain that thing within the next ten days, there could literally be thousands of mosquitoes breeding in that container."
What they're saying
As you might imagine, people weren't thrilled to learn that there could be even more mosquitoes than usual this year.
"Not good, not happy," said Nancy, who asked not to give her last name. "Mosquitoes are not wonderful. They do carry diseases, and they buzz and they itch and they're no picnic, at a picnic especially."
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