Look out for mosquitoes a little earlier this spring due to warmer winter

LANCASTER − Might be a good idea to get the mosquito repellent out.

Fairfield County Health Commissioner Joe Ebel Tuesday updated the county commissioners on happenings at the health department. He said because of the milder winter more mosquito eggs survived the winter. That means mosquitoes will make their spring debut earlier.

"Most of the mosquitoes we see were hatched with eggs that were laid last year," Ebel said. "And when you get a lot of rain that lets them hatch out. If it doesn't get cold enough there's enough that hatch out right away."

Ebel said the health department doesn't usually start spraying for mosquitoes until the first of June.

"But we may have to start a little earlier if there are a lot of them out there already," he said. "We've already got contracts coming in from the villages to do their mosquito spraying for this season."

Besides looking out for mosquitoes, Ebel said the health department is looking at measles since there was an outbreak of the disease around Dayton. He said there was a case in the county about a year ago.

jbarron@gannett.com

740-681-4340

Twitter/X: @JeffDBarron

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Health commissioner says mosquitoes may be out early this year