Weekly Update – August 22nd – Very Slight Uptick in Mosquitoes
August 30, 2022
Final Weekly Update of 2022 – September 19th – A Low End to a Low Year
September 27, 2022
August rains weren't enough to contribute to much mosquito production.
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.
September is here - school is starting, the State Fair has wound down, and overnight temperatures are getting cooler each night. This is also the time of year when mosquitoes tend to enter diapause and will stop being active during their typical hours. For the last surveillance week in August, our traps collected very few mosquitoes despite the fact that August had more rain than July and June.
According to MMCD assistant entomologist, Dr. Scott Larson, "once again, there were no surprises last week. Mosquito counts are still quite low. Only two traps captured more than 130 human-biting mosquitoes."
Here are the mosquito trap counts from last Monday, August 29th:
West Nile is still active, but risk decreases as temperatures cool down.
August and early September are the peak activity periods for West Nile virus, but so far the risk has stayed pretty low this year.
According to MMCD Vector Ecologist Kirk Johnson: "For the year the WNV infection rate in mosquitoes tested is similar to our experience at this point last year. The infection rate this year stands at 2.6/1000 mosquitoes tested, last year at this time it was 2.2/1000. There are some differences, however, between the two years that suggest we are currently in a position of risk to human health that is lower than at the same time last year. Last year we tested many more pools early in the season, before WNV was detected than this year. Had that not been the case, last year’s infection rate through this time of year would have been higher."
If you need tips to reduce your risk of mosquito-borne disease (and mosquito annoyance in general) check out our Resident's Guide!
MMCD Had a Successful State Fair!
Attendance was almost back to pre-pandemic levels at the 2022 Minnesota State Fair and MMCD staff had an excellent time talking to people and providing educational resources on ticks, black flies, and mosquitoes. Altogether we spoke to over 3,000 people!
For the school year, we offer classroom presentations for elementary through high school students and cover information on mosquito and tick biology along with basic entomology and interactive elements. If you know any teachers, please spread the word!
For the latest updates on mosquito control, disease activity, and planned treatments, follow MMCD on Twitter or Facebook.
