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Year in and year out, mosquitoes find a way to suck some of the joy out of outdoor summer activities in Minnesota and beyond.
This story was written by Pat Borzi and initially published by ESPNW. The first half of the story appears below.
NORTH MANKATO, Minn. — Softball is a big deal in this town south of Minneapolis, where nearly two dozen Australian national team players relocated this summer to play for the Aussie Peppers in the National Pro Fastpitch league. They live in dorms at Bethany Lutheran College, remember to drive on the right and rave about the warmth and hospitality of their new neighbors.
Well, all but one.
Summer in Minnesota means the savage return of the unofficial state bird — the mosquito. “We call them mozzies,” Peppers coach Laing Harrow said. Hungry and persistent, mosquitoes are so prevalent that the Minnesota Twins used to feature one named Skeeta in their between innings mascot race at Target Field. This season, the Twins gave Skeeta a well-deserved promotion to “mascot manager.”
As for the Aussies, they consider the “mozzies” and their ear-buzzing relative, the gnat, worse than any flying pest they’ve encountered in Australia.
“They’re relentless! Oh my goodness,” catcher Carmie Sorensen said following a night game earlier this month, rubbing one leg against the other to scratch a recent bite. “Back home, you get bitten, and you feel it the next day. Here, straightaway. They’re nasty.”
Whether mosquitoes in Minnesota are worse than anywhere else in the Midwest is open to debate, though it hardly lessens the annoyance or the risk. Mosquitoes in Minnesota can spread a variety of viruses, including West Nile and La Crosse encephalitis. The highest risk for contraction is in July through September.
