August mosquito numbers the worst in decades
Numbers have surged in the past week, city's mosquito expert says
The mosquito situation this August has been one of the worst in decades, the city mosquito expert said Thursday.
“The mosquito population has definitely increased in the last week or so,” said biological sciences technician Mike Jenkins.
Jenkins attributes the sudden increase to higher humidity and rain several weeks ago.
“They're able to be out and biting even in periods when typically we don't get a lot of mosquito activity,” he said. “So people are noticing that they’re biting during the day, they're biting in windy conditions.”
People who spend time outdoors have noticed the increase. Darrell McDonald of the Mill Woods Golf Course says some people are just giving up.
“All of a sudden now on the driving range people are coming in and asking for a mosquito cheque because they can't hit balls on the range ‘cause the mosquitoes are so bad,” he said.
City crews treated mosquito habitat in hopes of preventing larvae from hatching.
Jenkins said that mosquitoes from outside of the city’s treatment area likely moved in and are creating the current problem.