Excessive rain causing uptick in mosquitoes

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WSAV) – The Coastal Empire and Lowcountry have seen an uptick in mosquitoes. The reason, according to Mosquito Joe owner Gregory Brian Polster, is because of the exorbitant amount of recent rain.

Polster tells News 3 that mosquitoes start their life cycle in standing water, and it typically takes five to seven days for a mosquito to become a fully grown, biting adult.

“We all of a sudden got a bunch of rain in areas that didn’t have a lot of standing water before, so it caused an explosion of mosquitoes in our area,” Polster explained.

He says it has been a slow season for pest control up until recently.

“That’s because we haven’t been getting a ton of rain, and all of a sudden we started getting like 4 inches a day, which was just the perfect environment for mosquitoes to breed in,” said Polster.

As for who they attack, Polster says each person attracts mosquitoes differently depending on traits like hair color and how much carbon dioxide they omit. He says blonde women get bit the most.

“There’s also been studies done on blood types,” said Polster, “and people who drink more beer tend to get bit more often so there’s a lot of different reasons, but ultimately, right now, the population has just exploded, so there’s mosquitoes everywhere.”

Polster says female mosquitoes bite humans because they need the protein from our blood to reproduce.

“They sense that carbon dioxide when you’re breathing out, and they also can sense the pheromones your body puts out that will tell them, ‘Hey there’s a mammal or a human in this area, and it’s a potential blood mule for me,'” he said.

To prevent mosquitoes from breeding around your property, Polster says after it rains, go outside and look for small containers like flower pots or bird baths. Dump them, because that is where mosquitoes breed.

“Before you toss and tip those things and you see what looks like little, tiny worms swimming around, that’s actually mosquito larvae and pupae that are, within a week, going to turn into those biting adults,” he said.

Polster says to protect yourself from being bit, you can use bug spray, and if you feel more comfortable, all-natural products such as eucalyptus and lemon oil work too.