Weekly Update – May 26th – Mosquitoes Quiet for Memorial Day, May Start to Emerge This Week
May 26, 2026
A few outliers brought overall mosquito numbers up this week, but still below average.
Mosquitoes appeared in the first noticeable numbers last week, but overall we are still below average.
Temperatures have shot up over the last week and the Twin Cities saw above average heat for the last week of May. Some may even have spotted mosquito activity over the most recent weekend as last week's surveillance data shows that mosquitoes are now out in noticeable numbers, though still just below the 10-year average.
Last week most CO2 traps in the District collected 10 or more mosquitoes with a few outliers collecting an abundant amount. Southeastern Dakota County had the most activity this week with the busiest trap in Ravenna Township along the Mississippi River collecting 1,600 mosquitoes! No other traps collected more than 1,000 and the other high trap counts were found in northern Carver County and northern Dakota County along the river.
Most of the species collected in traps last week were Aedes vexans or the summer floodwater mosquito, which is typically our most common species in the summer months. One of the early stories of 2026 is that there appears to be a lack of spring mosquito species (also known as spring Aedes) for the second year in a row. After near record numbers in 2023 and 2024, spring Aedes mosquitoes barely appeared in 2025 and have remained mostly absent in 2026. This is likely due to the low snow pack to end the winter and lack of rain early in the spring. According to District Entomologist, Dr. Scott Larson, we have likely already reached the peak of spring Aedes numbers.
Here are this week's District Maps:
Helicopters Wrapped Up Cattail Treatments Last Week; May Be Active Again After Sunday's Rain
Over the past two weeks, MMCD staff have treated a whopping 37,828 acres for cattail mosquitoes - an aggressive, human-biting mosquito that emerges from the water around the 4th of July. This effort should reduce the scourge of biting insects in the more populated areas of Twin Cities next month. Helicopters may return to the skies later this week depending on whether or not Sunday's rain hatched enough mosquito eggs to reach our threshold. Field staff are out now checking some of the areas where the rain fell.
Here are some of the numbers from the week of May 26-29, courtesy of MMCD Assistant Director Jon Peterson:
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Treated 13,761 acres by helicopter
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Treated 746 acres by drone
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Treated 391 sites by drone
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Inspected and/or treated 3,981 ground sites
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Treated 747 ground site acres
Summer Event Season is Here!
The school year is winding down and summer events are about to be in full swing! MMCD has a packed agenda with safety camps, city festivals, fairs, parades, and more coming up this year! At tabling events we will have handouts, and lots of interactive activities like live mosquito larvae, temporary tattoos, microscopes to view specimens, trivia, and much more!
We will post the latest upcoming events each week, so come and see us if you're in the area!
Upcoming Events
Come out and see staff from the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District at one of these upcoming events:
- Thursday, June 4th - Party in the Park in Oak Park Heights
- Saturday, June 6th - Good Neighbor Days Parade in Hugo
- Saturday, June 6th - Family Nature Day at Sunfish Lake Park in Lake Elmo
- Sunday, June 7th - Grand Old Day in St. Paul
- Sunday, June 7th - Take a Kid Fishing Event in West St. Paul
Would you like MMCD to come to your event or speak to your group? E-mail Alex Carlson!
MMCD in the News
Last week MMCD Vector Ecologist Jordan Mandli was a featured guest on Fox 9 Good Day to talk about ticks and Lyme disease.
Win an MMCD T-Shirt!
Here is your chance to win either the new MMCD Attack Larvae T-Shirt or last year's Laser Loon shirt. Sign up for "The Weekly Buzz" newsletter with Weekly Mosquito updates. Each week there will be a trivia question at the end. Two correct answers each week will get a shirt!
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