We’ve already had cicadas, ticks and spotted lanternflies bugging us this year. Do New Jerseyans now have to brace for another annoyance — a summer with big swarms of mosquitoes?
The answer is not so simple.
Bug experts say a lot depends on where you live, how much rain you get and other factors, like how much muck accumulates in stream beds. And how much water and dirt is sitting in your gutters, bird baths, flower pot saucers and other common items outside your home.
Many types of mosquitoes that are prevalent in New Jersey thrive in warm and wet conditions, while others favor cooler temperatures and long dry spells in between big rain storms.
That’s why some mosquitoes were out in full force during the spring, and other types have been found in lower than normal numbers, according to Scott Crans, the administrator who oversees the New Jersey Office of Mosquito Control Coordination.
“We started the season kind of cool and wet, and some of our mosquito species do really well under those conditions — and those populations were actually really high,” Crans told NJ Advance Media.
One of those active types was the culiseta melanura, a black-tailed mosquito that thrives in swampy areas and can carry the rare but dangerous Eastern equine encephalitis virus.
This mosquito was found in huge numbers in early May in several parts of New Jersey, particularly in the Delaware River Basin, the Delaware Bayshore region and the Pinelands, according to weekly reports filed by county mosquito control agencies.
The good news: During recent weeks, those numbers have gone down to normal levels in most areas of the state, although these mosquitoes are still active in the Delaware River Basin.
This Advance photo from 2016 shows stagnant water at Wolfes Pond Park in Staten Island, which attracted mosquitoes.
State and county mosquito control offices are keeping an eye on the north-central rural region of New Jersey, which has had an uptick in activity among a species of mosquito called the aedes vexans, and a few areas of the state that have had rising numbers of coquillettidia perturbans mosquitoes.
The aedes vexans are a very common type of “nuisance mosquito” found all across New Jersey, thriving in heavy rain, puddles and other standing water. The coquillettidia perturbans mosquito is also a nuisance type but can carry and transmit viruses like West Nile or Eastern equine encephalitis to people, horses or birds.
These ups and downs in mosquito activity are normal, Crans noted, because they are strongly tied to weather conditions, how wet or dry it is in the beds of creeks, streams and other waterways, and how many breeding grounds mosquitoes have in different areas.
With all of those factors changing frequently, Crans said it is very tough to predict whether this summer will be a bad one, or a normal one, for mosquito activity.
Crans said his office and county mosquito control coordinators are constantly analyzing data from mosquito traps that are set up across the state, which helps them identify the different types of mosquitoes and the volume of activity.
The data dictates when and where officials will spray pesticides to cut down on the number of mosquitoes out there biting people or animals.
Mosquitoes captured in the Beachwood area of Cuyahoga County in Ohio in 2011. The Plain Dealer
Timing is important
Crans said it’s not just how much rain we get this summer that will determine how many mosquitoes will be thriving, but the timing of the rain.
Common nuisance mosquitoes, like the aedes vexans, “have eggs that need to dry down before they hatch,” he said. So those insects will multiply in big numbers if we get heavy rain, followed by a dry period, then another wet period.
“Typically eight to ten days past a heavy rain event you’re gonna see aedes vexans populations increasing,” Crans said.
While this type of mosquito favors wet environments, Crans said if it rains a few days in a row, or every few days for an extended period and excessive water remains in areas where eggs are deposited, that will prevent those eggs from hatching.
The bad news: Some other kinds of mosquitoes thrive under longterm wet conditions, so those can become a problem if we get too much rain this summer.
“What’s good for one species may not be good for the other,” Crans said.
Experts say mosquitoes can lay eggs in only a half-inch of water. That's why it's important for people to make sure there's no stagnant water outside their home.Gilles San Martin
Check your yard
Mosquitoes are not just a problem around marshy areas. Experts say many species of skeeters that are prevalent in the Garden State lay their eggs in puddles, buckets, watering cans, plant containers or other common household items.
“Paying attention to areas where stagnant reservoirs of water can be eliminated will help reduce your mosquito population,” said Hugh McCulloch, owner of the Mosquito Squad of Central Jersey, a company that specializes in mosquito and tick control.
“So, on a weekly basis empty or turn over items that will hold water,” McCulloch said. “Things like tarps, tires, kids’ toys, buckets, bird baths, garbage cans and flowering pots.”
Wheelbarrows and clogged gutters are also common breeding grounds for many types of mosquitoes, said Craig Sansig, an entomologist and service director at Viking Pest Control.
“Make sure gutters are unclogged, and also keeping trees and shrubs pruned back from the house is helpful,” Sansig said. Many mosquitoes “tend to hide on the undersides of leaves,” because they like warm, damp and shaded areas.
If you get bit by a mosquito, don’t freak out. Experts say it’s important to keep in mind that most mosquitoes don’t carry diseases that affect people.
Discarded tires can collect water and allow mosquitoes to breed.Colleen Harrison | MLive.com file
More tips for homeowners
Here are some other tips offered by state and county officials to help reduce mosquito populations around homes and lower your risk of getting bitten by these pesky insects:
- Avoid being outdoors during dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active.
- Wear EPA-registered insect repellant when outdoors and wear protective clothing, such as long sleeves and pants. Cover cribs, strollers and baby carriers with mosquito netting.
- Treat clothing with permethrin, an insecticide that kills or repels mosquitoes. This is ideal for people who hike or spend a lot of time outdoors.
- Monitor your health closely during mosquito season and be alert for symptoms of illness. Contact your healthcare provider to discuss testing and treatment.
- Repair holes in screens to keep mosquitoes outside and use air conditioning when possible.
- Remove standing water around your home, because that’s where mosquitoes lay eggs.
- Empty standing water at least once or twice a week from flowerpots, pet dishes, birdbaths, swimming pool covers, buckets, barrels, cans, etc.
- Drill holes in the bottom and elevate recycling and other containers if left outdoors. Turn over plastic wading pools and wheelbarrows when not in use.
- Repair and clean storm-damaged roof gutters, particularly if leaves from surrounding trees tend to clog drains. Roof gutters can produce millions of mosquitoes each season.
- Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish. Water gardens become major mosquito producers if they stagnate.
- Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, even when they are not in use.
- If you have a mosquito problem after taking the above steps, call your county mosquito control agency and ask for assistance. There are larval habitats that only your local mosquito control program can properly address.
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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com.
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