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Fewer mosquitoes recently but expect the numbers to bounce back quickly

Posted at 9:05 PM, May 27, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-27 22:05:20-04

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start to summer which means it won’t be long before those unwelcomed pests of summer return to Acadiana as well.

Thanks to a relatively dry start to the month of May many of the typical breeding areas for mosquitoes have dried up leading to fewer numbers of the pests.

Glenn Stokes, the owner of Mosquito Control Contractors in New Iberia says "they are only getting 5 or 6 service requests for mosquito spraying a day now, which is low."

Also, the freezing cold winter did kill off some of the mosquitoes causing the numbers to be low this spring but Stokes says that will not last long and quickly the numbers will be back to typical levels once the rains return.

The reason the numbers can jump back up so quickly is because it only takes 7-10 days for mosquitoes to go from an egg to a full adult.

On top of the fast hatching rate one female can lay up to 1,000 eggs a month. 

And even with many of the breeding areas dried up right now the female mosquito can still lay eggs in the moist ground so once the rains return those eggs can rapidly go through the life cycle.

To help keep the number of mosquitoes down around your house Stokes recommends people "try to eliminate breeding sites in their backyards, anything they see that holds water, if there is a ditch in the front of their home or pipe or something holding water you can bet that’s going to breed mosquitoes."

Especially make sure you get rid of old tires as they are one of the top breeding sites for mosquitoes.

If you are still having problems with the pest you can call mosquito control and they can come spray your neighborhood.

When the trucks come and spray your area they can kill 90% of mosquitoes in a 300 foot radius that the spray hits.

So, it only kills those mosquitoes out flying around meaning it helps but don’t expect the spray to completely eliminate all the mosquitoes.

Thus, if the mosquitoes get bad you will need to use repellents and wear light color clothes.