Weekly Update – July 13th – All Downhill From Here?
July 13, 2026
Mosquito numbers are back to where they were on June 22nd and remain below average.
As expected, mosquito numbers have continued to decline as the weather has remained hot and dry.
The below average mosquito season continues and last week the numbers across the district dropped even further. According to District Entomologist, Dr. Scott Larson, "the numbers of human-biting mosquitoes captured last week dropped off considerably. Both priority zones have much fewer mosquitoes than the long term averages for those respective areas."
This data is from last week and between now and then there hasn't been much rain, so it wouldn't be surprising if the numbers declined even further in next week's update. A few areas in the District received some rain on Sunday night so there will be some helicopter activity this week, but not much. Here are the weekly maps:
Ground treatments are done using a backpack granule spreader.
More West Nile Virus Positive Mosquitoes Found in Hennepin, Ramsey, and Anoka Counties
So far West Nile virus has not been a significant threat this year. Last week three new mosquito pools tested positive for West Nile virus in the Twin Cities, but all of them were in counties and near locations where we had already found positive samples this year. 1 positive sample came from each Hennepin, Ramsey, and Anoka Counties.
According to MMCD Vector Ecologist, Dr. Jordan Mandli, "compared to previous seasons, mosquito abundance has remained low, limiting the number of pools available for testing. While it's still early, this may be an encouraging sign that we're in for a quieter year."
Upcoming Events
Come out and see staff from the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District at one of these upcoming events:
- Tuesday, July 21st - Sunday, July 26th - Anoka County Fair in Anoka
- Tuesday, July 21st - Empire Celebration - Empire
- Wednesday, July 22nd - Sunday, July 26th - Scott County Fair in Jordan
- Thursday, July 23rd - Pollinator Party by the Bee Lab - Lyndale Park Garden, Minneapolis
- Saturday, July 25th - Slice of Shoreview Parade - Shoreview
- Saturday, July 25th - Leprechaun Days Parade - Rosemount
Would you like MMCD to come to your event or speak to your group? E-mail Alex Carlson!
Video of the Week - Mosquito Bite Games - Habitat Edition
Last week the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District was honored to receive a Northern Lights Award for Public Health or Public Safety Video of the Year! Congrats to current and former MMCD staff members who worked on the project: Abbie Brown (former Public Affairs Assistant and Video Director), Alex Carlson, Murray Parent, Kylie Rich-Vetsch, Nate Moll, Brandon Dusterhoft, and Monte Ebbesen.
If you haven't seen it yet, check it out below:
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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