Record Rain fall in California means more mosquitoes

The Bay Area’s epic winter rainfall means that a certain pesky, blood-sucking summertime pest is having the time of its short life. (For males, that’s about a week — and that’s if they aren’t swatted sooner!)

“This year you’re going to see some pretty bad mosquito conditions — good conditions if you’re a mosquito, bad conditions if you’re a human being,” said Kaitlyn Trudeau, senior research associate at Climate Central. “Mosquitos are awful. I’m not a fan.”

In the short term, lots of rain and snow means plentiful puddles, marshes, ponds and other opportunities for mosquitoes to lay their eggs and reproduce rapidly.

But there’s a long-term trend playing out, and it has to do with warming temperatures — and it’s bad news for any San Franciscan with bare ankles and plans for an outdoor picnic.

Trudeau and her research colleagues looked closely at mosquito activity trends between 1979 and 2022 at 242 locations across the U.S. They found that rising summertime temperatures are affecting mosquitoes all over the place.

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Black and white spotted mosquito on the surface of liquid.

Bloc the bite

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bloc natural mosquito repellent 12 oz value size

California Mosquito Season

Mosquitoes season in California starts in May and goes through September.   Even in October the mosquitoes can be active.

Mosquitoes are small, blood-sucking insects.

Sometimes mosquitoes carry germs like viruses that can spread to a person when a mosquito bites. After feeding on blood, a female mosquito will lay eggs on or near water. The young stages of a mosquito grow in standing water.

The best way to prevent diseases that are spread by mosquitoes is to protect yourself from mosquito bites: use Bloc all natural on exposed skin when going outdoors (especially at dawn and dusk), and wear long sleeves and pants for extra protection. You can also keep mosquitoes from breeding and biting by draining standing water around your home.

California Mosquito season