North Texas had our 6th soggiest spring on record this year, and it's brought back the devil's gift to entomology — mosquitoes.
If you've been outside, you've probably noticed, but if you haven't — there's still time to build an indoor bunker.
DFW has been getting hit particularly hard with the little bloodsuckers.
"They're really bad,"Dallas mom Lindsay Howard told CBS News. "And I think it mostly has to do with the creek down there," she says, gesturing down the street.
But it's not just us in the north.
Sonja Swiger, an entomologist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, explained the main reasons why mosquitoes are currently swarming in South Texas is the recent rain (including widespread flooding in the southeast) and temperatures warming back up.
"The large amount of rain that has occurred is causing flooding and standing/stagnant water everywhere," Swiger told the Houston Chronicle. "So places that were once dry now have inches of water that is not flowing and this is where mosquitoes thrive."
And as the saying goes, first comes love, then comes mosquitoes, then comes West Nile.
The City of Arlington is already spraying after a mosquito pool tested positive for the virus — one of the located cases in Texas this year. According to CBS, teams were spraying Wednesday night, and other Texas cities from Midland to Arlington and down to Houston are gearing up for what looks to be a particularly miserable mosquito season.
June is the beginning of the worst of mosquito season in Texas, and only a couple of weeks away.
No human cases of West Nile have been reported yet.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), West Nile virus is the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the U.S. The virus can infect humans, birds, mosquitoes, horses, and some other animals.
West Nile isn't always serious for humans. About 80% never develop symptoms, and it can only be transmitted through infected mosquitoes.
About 25% develop a condition called "West Nile fever," with flu-like symptoms and occasionally a rash on the trunk of the body.
Only about one out of 150 people develop a more severe form, West Nile neuroinvasive disease, which affects the nervous system — the brain and the spinal cord. The signs and symptoms of severe disease may include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, stupor, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, and paralysis.
Symptoms in the majority of cases though, are mild, and only last for a few days.
The worse kind can persist for weeks — or even months — and left untreated, neurological symptoms can be permanent, according to experts with DSHS.
Texas County with Confirmed West Nile Cases, 2023.Photo byTexas Department of State Health Services
DSHS tracks west nile cases every year, and where the cases are — the most mosquitoes live.
Mosquitoes thrive in the warm, humid conditions near the Gulf Coast, in the north central Panhandle, and from DFW northward to the Red River. According to DSHS data and from bug trackers with Mosquito Forecast, the biggest threats of West Nile are expected to concentrate around these areas.
The dry, hot plains of the West and the deserts down South won't have to worry quite so much. Though DSHS does still urge residents be careful and take precautions.
• Eliminating standing water that can collect in and around gutters, old tires, buckets, kids' toys, and tarps.
• Empty and change the water in bird baths, wading pools, rain barrels, and potted plant trays at least once a week. If your home has fountains, check them for any blockage, and also change their water weekly.
• Fill any standing pools of water in your yard with dirt.
• If you have a pool or hot tub, keep the water treated and circulating.
• Make sure all your windows and doors are sealing properly, and replace any damaged or worn seals.
• Cover baby carriages and bedding with mosquito netting, if you're in a particularly mosquito-prone area. Babies are most at risk for the worse versions of West Nile and other mosquito-borne illnesses.
• Keep mosquitoes away from exposed skin by wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks.
• Tuck shirts into pants and pants into socks (or boots) to cover gaps in your clothing where mosquitoes can get to your skin.
• Stay indoors when possible, especially if there is a mosquito-borne disease warning in effect.
• Use head nets, long sleeves and long pants if you venture into areas with high mosquito populations, such as salt marshes. Even if you aren't near marshes and wetlands, long sleeves and pants by themselves can provide good protection.
• Replace your outdoor lights with yellow "bug" lights, which tend to attract fewer mosquitoes than ordinary lights. They don't repel the bugs, but they will attract less of them.
If you aren't a big fan of mosquitoes — at least take some comfort in the fact that scientists have been debating for years whether we could just get rid of all them.
So how about it, Texans? Are you ready for mosquito season?
As always, if you have a spicy tip for me, want to check out my less news-y writing, or just want to stop by and say hi — you can find me over on Substack at @aboyandhisdog.
If you're curious about me —you don't have to be. You can find out just about everything you'd want to know about this Texas boy right here, my own politics, and my thoughts on the state of journalism.
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