Weekly Update – June 8th – Container-Breeding Mosquitoes Active
June 8, 2026
Mosquito numbers increased slightly, but we are still well below average for this time of year.
Mosquito season stays "boring," though numbers may pick up in coming weeks as cattail mosquitoes begin to emerge.
Mosquito numbers for the week of June 10th increased slightly from the week prior, but we remain significantly below the 10-year average. The most abundant species this week was Coquillettidia perturbans, also known as the cattail mosquito, which started to emerge in a few spots, especially in northern Washington County. This species is not as impacted by this year's dry conditions because their numbers are determined by last year's rainfall totals. That big spike in the 10-year average around July 1st is because of cattail mosquitoes and we expect numbers in the Twin Cities to tick up as they continue to emerge.
The hot spot last week was Scandia in northern Washington County where two separate traps collected more than 300 mosquitoes each. Otherwise the areas with high numbers of mosquitoes collected were pretty scattered.
We are anticipating rain this week, which could bring enough water to hatch another brood of mosquitoes, which would be the first time we've experienced floodwater mosquito hatching in several weeks. Depending on how much rain falls, we will be out with helicopters to try to keep mosquito numbers low as we head into peak summer months.
Here are this week's District Maps:
Pre-Hatch Treatments This Week and Potentially Responding to a Brood
In anticipation of rain in the coming weeks, several MMCD facilities are flying pre-hatch treatments today in areas with historically high mosquito production. We are watching the forecasted rain for Tuesday and Wednesday to see if enough falls to merit another round of treatments later in the week. For floodwater mosquitoes, MMCD staff always check wetlands to determine which species hatched before conducting treatments. If larval counts don't reach the threshold for human-biting species, we won't do a treatment.
Here are some of the numbers from the week of June 8-12, courtesy of MMCD Assistant Director Jon Peterson:
-
Treated 559 acres by drone
-
Treated 328 sites by drone
-
Inspected and/or treated 6,790 ground sites and structures
-
Treated 1,527 ground site acres
-
Treated over 21,000 Catch Basins
Catch basins will be a main target of activity this week.
Upcoming Events
Come out and see staff from the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District at one of these upcoming events:
- Wednesday, June 17th - Carver Vehicle Fair in Carver
- Tuesday, June 23rd - Anoka Family Safety Fair in Anoka
- Thursday, June 25th - Monthly Community Connection in Little Canada
Would you like MMCD to come to your event or speak to your group? E-mail Alex Carlson!
Video of the Week - Field of Dreams
Don't let your Field of Dreams become a field of nightmares when it gets taken over by mosquitoes. Help reduce the number of disease vector mosquitoes this summer by removing standing water.
Check out our new Field of Dreams video below:
MMCD in the News
Recently there have been several local news stories featuring MMCD staff. Check them out:
- Research Entomologist Caleb Corona was on MPR News with Angela Davis to discuss ticks and mosquitoes.
- WCCO News featured MMCD on their Good Question segment to answer the question,"when did ticks become a problem in Minnesota?"
- WCCO News also did a mosquito story to explain why mosquito numbers are so low this year.
- MinneapoliMedia highlighted MMCD's drones, which are active throughout the Twin Cities this summer.
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!
Enter your e-mail address below to sign up now!
