Weekly Update – May 23rd – Adult Mosquitoes Begin Appearing in a Few Spots
May 31, 2022
Fox 9: May showers bring June mosquitoes in Minnesota
June 9, 2022
Surveillance results from last week show mosquito numbers increasing significantly in some areas as we head into June
Every Monday night starting in mid-May through September, the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District sets out a variety of mosquito and black fly traps throughout the district and employs a network of sweep net collections done by employees and volunteers. Any insects collected are brought back to our lab on Tuesday to be identified throughout the week with maps published to show current mosquito and black fly activity.
After a drought year in 2021 that resulted in lower mosquito numbers throughout the season, 2022 seems to be heading back towards a normal mosquito year. Surveillance results from last week showed human-biting adult mosquito numbers are on the rise in most counties throughout the District.
According to MMCD assistant entomologist Scott Larson, "Last week felt like the first time we found plenty of mosquitoes across the District. Whereas the previous week only had 11 traps with over 50 human-biting mosquitoes captured, last week we counted 54 traps with over 50 mosquitoes captured." Aedes vexans, or the summer floodwater mosquito, was the most common species found in traps with Spring Aedes more common in northern Washington County.
Black fly numbers were down, but still present in almost every CO2 trap. If you are noticing high numbers of adult black flies or mosquitoes, please use our Submit a Tip form and let us know!
Here are the mosquito trap counts from last Tuesday, May 31st:
June is the peak month for Lyme disease transmission in Minnesota
Lyme disease is spread by deer ticks and June is the peak month for the transmission of this harmful disease. The main reason for that is because it is the highest month for ticks in the nymph stage of their life cycle which means they are tiny and hard to detect. Ticks typically need to be attached for at least 24 hours in order to transmit the pathogen that lead to Lyme disease, so larger, adult ticks are often spotted and removed before harm is done, but nymph ticks are tiny and often go unnoticed.
Pay extra attention when checking for ticks after you have been in tick habitat. Recently, MMCD tick specialist Janet Jarnefeld was on WCCO news talking about how we do tick surveillance and how people can take precautions.
For the latest updates on mosquito control, disease activity, and planned treatments, follow MMCD on Twitter or Facebook.
