Mosquito population boom anticipated after mild winter

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — With warmer temperatures in the forecast, the Kent County Health Department is expecting a bad season for mosquitoes.

The mild temperatures likely mean more mosquitoes were able to survive the winter months, and spring rains amplify the numbers.

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To monitor for viruses, the health department is using three types of traps positioned around the county.

Brendan Earl, a mosquito expert with the Kent County Health Department, says the team has about 20 to 25 traps to monitor at any given time.

The department even has a special vacuum to collect the mosquito samples.

They sort them by species and send the female mosquitoes to the state for testing, since the male mosquitoes do not bite.

The department is focused on the types of mosquitoes that carry diseases.

“Last year… we found that invasive Aedes species of mosquito that can carry some vector-borne diseases like Zika. We traced it back to some interstate travel from Florida that brought some stagnant water with larvae,” Earl said.

The mild winter will likely mean more mosquitoes survived, creating a spike in population — but there are some things you can do to help.

“We want people to get rid of mosquito habitat around their house. So things like any kind of standing water, whether it’s an old pool or a flower pot or if their gutters are holding water, get rid of that stagnant water,” Earl said.

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Spring rains often lead to a population boom, and even a small amount of standing water can have an impact.

“It can actually be a thimble full or a bottle cap,” Earl said. “That much water. The top of a pop bottle can produce hundreds of mosquitoes.”

The health department is reminding people to wear mosquito repellant with DEET and long clothing, especially around dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.

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