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This story was written by Erin Hassanzadeh and originally published by WCCO TV. It appears below in its entirety.
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Though the ice is only just starting to melt, one group is already thinking about summer mosquitoes.
The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District dropped 550 briquettes into a Golden Valley swamp on Thursday. It cost roughly $2,000 but will prevent cattail mosquitoes – a particularly aggressive variety – from becoming adults.
In all, the MMCD will spend about $30,000 treating for mosquitoes in Hennepin County this season. They drop these briquettes by hand on smaller swamps, but are experimenting with treatment drones to cut down on costs.
“We try to find a good spot where the snow is melted but yet the ice is still safe enough for us to walk on,” said Lucas Greimann, who works with the MMCD.
However, it’s the spring weather that will truly dictate this summer’s mosquito problem.
“Basically, our mosquitoes are all dependent on the rain, so the more rain we get the more mosquitoes can come out,” he said.
Greimann said the bugs could come out in early May, but the MMCD is doing their best to make sure they are less prevalent this year.
