All that rain we've had isn't just making our lawns and flowers grow.
Howard Russell is an entomologist with Michigan State University, and he says that the booming mosquito population is directly related to the rain.
Russell explains that the huge downpours over the last few weeks have filled the low-lying areas that produce summer mosquitos.
“As long as that water stays, I’m afraid we’re going to be dealing with them for the next few weeks,” he says.
Russell tells us that we have a few types of mosquitoes in Michigan that can produce a new generation in as few as five days when the temperature is in the mid-80s.
“If we get more rain, which it looks like we’re going to over the next week or so, we could be dealing with mosquitoes well into the month of July,” he says.
According to Russell, mosquitoes do best in temporary pools of still water because there are no predators in the areas.
He says mosquito larvae have a hard time developing in moving water, so most retention ponds and pools aren’t cause for concern.
Clearing standing pools of water, however, is recommended.
