“As the water rises, eggs laid in the ground up to 30 years ago become wet, and when those eggs get wet, mosquito larvae immediately emerge into the water and begin to develop,” adds Phippen. Phippen says there are few mosquito larvae this time of year, and with the dry heat, the mosquito population will drop significantly. “The only thing that will kill them [adult mosquitoes] at this point, there is some lingering heat. We noticed all the way to North Thompson, people are starting to dance, finally. They are about three weeks behind on their grass. Removing the hay in those nice, cool shady spots where the adults want to hang out but when they start getting exposed to the sun. That will turn them around until August comes around.” While people think of mosquitoes as the nasty bugs they seem to be, Phippen says some mosquito species are actually good for the environment. “Only females bite. They require the blood meal – that extra protein to develop their egg batch. Males are actually pollinators. it is a beneficial insect. We get asked a lot, “What good are mosquitoes anyway?” They are good adult and aquatic food and the males are grass pollinators.” Although the mosquito population may be lower right now, Phippen reminds people to use bug spray containing Deet to prevent mosquito bites.
