Water From Rain & Flooding Means A Lot More Mosquitoes

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NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - While most North Texans are glad to see the rain gone and rejoicing in the sunshine, experts say the 2015 mosquito population will be one for the record books too.

Texas A & M University Livestock/Veterinary Entomologist Dr. Sonja Swiger says you're going to need plenty of insect repellant all summer long. Mosquito sprays containing DEET are one of the best-known ways to keep the pesky bloodsuckers from biting.

"A lot of people do have their concerns, but research still continually shows it [DEET] to be very safe, very effective," Dr. Swiger said and explained further, "Every new product brought out on the market is still tested against DEET, before it gets approved. We recommend the use of the EPA approved products, and the ones that CDC follows, and those are the DEET, the picaridin, the IR35/35, and the oil of lemon eucalyptus."

The West Nile Virus is an issue that has resulted in mosquito spraying across most of Texas, but Dr. Swiger says it only helps so much. "There are still gonna be areas that we can't get to and those are the reasons why we need to use those repellants. We're gonna see a lot more of the other 80 species as well as some psorophora, which are the really big females that gets to you and hurts really bad when they bite, they'll come flying out of the floodwater zones that we don't really have access to."

Humid conditions and stagnant or standing water help mosquitoes to breed. In water, it can take as little as four days for mosquitoes to complete three stages of their life cycle -- from egg, to larva and finally pupa. Given the current weather conditions in North Texas Swiger says everyone should prepare for the pests.

"It's gonna be a lot worse than what we're use to for sure," she said. "I mean it's been several years since we've had this much rain in the state of Texas and most people are not accustomed to being accosted I guess you would say, by so many mosquitoes."

Summer and mosquitoes go hand-in-hand here in Texas, but Dr. Swiger says this year will be extreme. "It's gonna be really bad, in just the perspective that everyone's going to see more mosquitoes. They're gonna be bitten more often and whether or not there really are more wouldn't really make a difference it's just the perception is going to be… there are going to be lots of mosquitoes."

Fighting mosquitoes on your property can be done with environmentally safe larvicide tablets, also called "dunks." Dunks are designed to kill mosquito larvae, for a period of 30 to 45 days, when they are placed in standing water. Dr. Swiger says the larvicide is specifically designed to only combat the "bad" bugs.

"They don't kill our non-target organisms, which would mean like our friendly insects that we're trying to keep alive and not hurt with pesticides. They don't harm mammals. You can even put them in water troughs for your own cattle and horses. If anything else gets into them there's no harmful effects against them. Those are definitely our number one that we recommend – are the use of the dunks."

North Texas health officials are urging residents to adhere to the five D's when it comes to controlling the presence of mosquitoes.

• DRAIN—all areas of standing water including changing water in wading pools, birdbaths, and cleaning out gutters;
• DEET—Use bug spray and protect clothing with repellents containing permethrin or DEET;
• DRESS—Dress in light- colored clothing with long sleeves and wear long pants;
• DUSK/DAWN—Limit outdoor exposure at dusk and dawn;
• DOORS—Keep door and window screens in good repair

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service has more information about mosquitoes and how to combat them.

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