The combination of warmth and wetness is a ripe environment for mosquitoes.
SAN ANTONIO — We asked for the rain to help cut down our drought, and mother nature delivered! But along with the welcomed water, comes some unwelcome guests. Mosquitoes!
We’ve had a lot of rain across the San Antonio area over the last few weeks, and now temperatures are warming up big time. That combination is ripe for the inevitable mosquitoes that typically explode in number during the spring and early summer anyway.
“It only takes about seven to 10 days before you start to see these pools of water with mosquito eggs start to erupt with mosquitoes,” said Dr. Jason Bowling, an infectious disease specialist with University Health. “So those mosquito counts are going to go up pretty soon.”
Bexar County begins mosquito abatement in April and May, and officials say now is the time for homeowners to get rid of leftover rainwater outside.
“There’s probably a lot of build up, small pools of water building up or standing water in your house that it’s probably best to start dumping those out because those are breeding grounds for mosquitoes,” said saac Neri, a Bexar County assistant public information officer.
- Always follow the product label instructions.
- Re-apply repellent as directed.
- Do not apply repellent on the skin under clothing.
- If you are using sunscreen, apply sunscreen first and then apply insect repellent second.
“Take precautions with kids. Mosquitoes don’t discriminate any age. They’ll bite kids and children,” said Bowling.
As mosquito season ramps up Bexar County says to check out their website and social media for more tips on how to protect your home from the pesky bugs.
“Last year we didn’t have a mosquito test positive for West Nile or any other, infection or disease. So, we’re still monitoring at this point,” said Neri.
Texas A&M tells us when it comes to horses, mosquito-borne diseases can pose a serious threat, but you can vastly reduce risk by keeping up to date on vaccinations and through mosquito management.