Colder Spring Temps May Create Mild Mosquito Season In Minnesota

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A silver lining to the cold spring and stormy Minnesota weather forecast is that it may make for a milder mosquito season.

Five-year-old Tianna Epps may have put it best Monday.

"I don't like it, because mosquitoes are dumb," Epps said.

Unfortunately, there's no escaping mosquitoes in the summer, but they thrive with rain and heat.

"We're heading into a cold stretch, so whenever we have these colder springs like we're having, that usually just delays when the mosquitoes will emerge," said Alex Carlson with the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District.

Carlson predicts it won't be until the end of May or early June when we'll really start to notice it getting buggier.

MMCD found its first mosquito larva of the year last month while snow was still on the ground, but Carlson says another dry summer should make nights out at the lake more pleasant.

"Based on our predictions, we're gonna see even fewer than last year, so that's good news for people who are preparing those 4th of July picnics," he said.

Carlson advises using bug spray and avoiding shallow, standing water around the house like in buckets in the garage.

"We had a little pool set up last year for [my daughter's] party and we had to empty it out like daily so the bugs don't get in there," said Anne Senkler, who was with her family at Battle Creek Park in Maplewood Monday.

Even with a lighter mosquito season, Carlson says the spread of West Nile virus will still be a threat this year. Fever or flu-like symptoms are worth getting checked out by a doctor.