How to handle the rampant mosquito season
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: John Moore/Getty Images
Are you itching and covered in bites, too? You're not alone — it's peak mosquito season in Houston. And the constant rain isn't giving us a break.
What they're saying: When there's heat and rain, there are mosquitoes, Max Vigilant, head of Harris County's mosquito control division, tells Axios.
- The peak season for disease risk from mosquitoes is mid-May through mid-June.
Threat level: There are nearly 60 mosquitoes species in Houston, including Culex mosquitoes that carry the West Nile virus. Every year the county finds mosquitoes that test positive for the virus, including this year in parts of Harris and Fort Bend counties.
- Plus: Large floodwater mosquitoes (whose bites can hurt more because they're bigger) are prevalent right now, per Sonja Swiger, a Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist.
Some tips to prevent bites:
The county is urging people to clear out things that could collect standing water, like empty trash cans and plant pots, as they could become breeding sites, Vigilant says.
- For standing water that can't be disposed of, there are mosquito dumps that can be used to help control the larvae, Swiger says.
Use EPA-approved insect repellent when you're expected to be outside for a while. Using bug spray daily is not excessive as long as you wash it off, Swiger says. Here is an EPA search tool to find the right repellent for you.
- "If you're going to be out for a lengthy period of time, you do need the heavier concentrations," Swiger says. "So the ones that we're seeing a lot of right now are what we call floodwater mosquitoes, and they generally are not deterred by 9%. They kind of need the 25% DEET, or they don't go away."
Wear long clothes if possible. But that can only go so far, as some mosquitoes can bite through clothes, per Swiger.