First Deer Tick Found! Ticks Emerging Early Due to Warm Weather
February 6, 2024
PRESS RELEASE: Mosquito Control activity has begun for 2024
April 11, 2024
After warm and dry weather in February and early March, many ponds and wetlands froze over again in March and April.
A dry, warm winter has been followed by a cool spring, making the upcoming mosquito and tick season hard to predict.
There was nothing normal about the winter of 2023-2024. Thanks in large part to a strong El Niño weather system, this past meteorological winter (December through February) was the warmest on record and snowfall has been significantly below average throughout the state.
The unusual temperatures and lack of precipitation have impacted the behavior of mosquitoes and ticks as well. At MMCD we found our first deer tick of the season on February 5th. The first mosquito larva was collected by field staff on February 26th, the earliest we had found any in at least 5 years. For a while it was looking like we were about to experience an early spring with ticks and adult mosquitoes prepared to be active weeks before MMCD's seasonal field staff had even started working.
Then things changed again. The end of March and beginning of April felt a lot more like a typical spring in Minnesota with temperatures around freezing and some measurable snowfall. This break from the warmth likely slowed down mosquito larvae that were active and is going to keep them in the water for longer. During the peak summer months, mosquitoes stay in the water for about 1 week after the eggs hatch, but when the water temperatures are cold that process can take weeks.
At the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District we track days above 40 degrees Fahrenheit to get an estimate of when we can expect mosquitoes to become active. We also use this metric to help determine when we need to begin our treatments via ground or helicopter in ponds and wetlands where larvae are present. While February temperatures pushed us well above normal, the cooler air in March and April brought us closer in line with last year.
Spring of 2024 is trending similar to 2023 and 2021.
Based on temperatures, air work likely to begin in mid-April.
Seasonal field staff began work on April 8th with more coming onboard each of the coming weeks. They will begin monitoring wetlands by doing larval surveillance and completing some early treatments in highly productive mosquito habitats.
Based on temperatures helicopter treatments may begin as early as next week in the metro. Any planned helicopter activity will be posted on our website and social media with a list of cities. Throughout the summer helicopter activity is largely dependent on precipitation, so check back for our weekly updates on the current conditions.
Predictions for summer weather suggest precipitation might be below average again.
After three years of drought conditions and low adult mosquito numbers overall, there is a chance that 2024 will offer more of the same.
The most common nuisance mosquito we have in Minnesota is the Summer floodwater mosquito (Aedes vexans) which is heavily dependent on rainfall - usually an inch or more of rain will trigger a hatch of this species' eggs. This means that the best way to predict mosquito numbers for this species is to estimate the rainfall for the season.
2021, 2022, and 2023 were all unusually dry with most of Minnesota in drought conditions throughout the summer. According to the National Weather Service and NOAA 2024 might see another drier year with the southwest portion of Minnesota predicted to have below average precipitation and the rest of the state expecting a normal year. Predicting long-term weather is very difficult, and it's quite possible a few heavy rains in mid-summer will bring an abundance of mosquitoes.
There is one species of mosquitoes that we can predict with some accuracy thanks to a model developed by Dr. Roger Moon at the University of Minnesota. The cattail mosquito (Coquillettidia perturbans) is a unique species that overwinters as larvae by attaching to the roots of vegetation (often cattails, hence the name) and emerges in a single brood in the summer around the end of June and early July. Our entomology lab makes predictions based on previous year rainfall and adult mosquitoes captured in CO2 traps and based on the model, it is likely that 2024 will have few cattail mosquitoes - with a prediction similar to the result found last year.
This means that even if we do see precipitation this year that is closer to average, we are unlikely to see a surge of mosquitoes around the 4th of July like we often do.
View the full details about cattail mosquitoes and the model that makes predictions in our Technical Advisory Board report.
Ticks are active already and will likely be out in similar numbers as recent years.
As mentioned above, our staff found their first deer tick of 2024 on February 5th, which was earlier than usual, but not surprising considering how warm the temperatures were at the time. Ticks usually come out earlier in the season than mosquitoes and stay out later in the fall. It's a good reminder to take precautions check yourself, your kids, and your pets if you're ever in tick habitat. Now is also a good time to ensure you've applied flea and tick preventative on your dog.
Earlier this year several news stations aired stories about the early emergence of ticks. Below is one from KARE 11. Check that out below and be sure to revisit MMCD.org every week this summer for updates on mosquitoes, black flies, and ticks!
