Parts of the U.S. with the Worst Mosquito Problems
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When summertime rolls around, there’s just no avoiding the inevitable swarm of mosquitoes that will follow. Mosquitoes breed in standing water, so if you are near large bodies of water, you know better than most how difficult it is to avoid the tiny blood sucking pests.
There are some areas of the United States that suffer from a greater density of mosquitoes than others, so if you are visiting those areas during the spring and summer months, it’s a good idea to include a can of insect repellent along with your luggage.
What Conditions Cause a Large Mosquito Population?
Mosquitoes breed by laying eggs into water, where they need some time to hatch. Fish eat mosquito eggs, so if there is a large fish population in a body of standing water, then the number of young mosquitoes that survive to adulthood is greatly reduced. The best place for a mosquito is a swampy place, an area that has lots of small, shallow pools of standing water that are too shallow for fish, and are nice and warm.
Where to Avoid?
There are some areas of the country that will naturally host more mosquitoes than others. Two of the most notorious are Houston, Texas and New Orleans, Louisiana. Both cities are known for their hot and humid summers, and both are coastal cities with a lot of swampy areas that are conducive to mosquito breeding.
Florida comes in as another top state, due mostly to the humid climate, warm weather, and abundance of swampland. Some other cities that are renowned for their mosquito populations are Jacksonville, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. Other cities around the South that have a large mosquito swarm to contend with are Richmond, Virginia Beach and Norfolk, Virginia over to Memphis, Tennessee then Atlanta, Georgia and also Birmingham, Alabama.
Aside from the South, there are areas of the upper Midwest with pretty serious mosquito issues of their own. States like Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan have a distinct mosquito season. Minnesota in particular, the land of ten thousand lakes, has plenty of water for mosquitoes to breed in. On the plus side, the northern mosquitoes tend to be larger, and therefore easier to swat.
What Can I Do?
If you live in any of those areas, you are probably already well aware of the large amount of mosquitoes that will be a part of your life during the summer months. But there are some tips you can follow to cut back on the number that are near your home.
Look around your house for any standing pools of water, either ones that are drinking water for pets, or are created naturally by runoff and drainage, and try to keep those pools from standing too long. In the case of pets, empty out the water every day or two, and that will help keep the population to a minimum.
And when you go on vacation to one of these areas, just know what you are getting into. Take the proper precautions like having insect repellent with you, and find out from the locals what time of day is best to be out to avoid them altogether.
When you are looking at the top areas in the United States for mosquitoes, just keep in mind that areas that have lots of standing water will also have lots of mosquitoes. Temperature doesn’t matter all that much, but the warmer the weather, the longer the season for mosquitoes.
Keep insect repellent handy, and you’ll be fine whether you’re in the desert of Las Vegas or in the swamps of Florida and Louisiana.