The start of July typically marks the heart of mosquito season. You know what to do. Stock up on citronella candles, wear garlic around your neck, scare them with direct sunlight, stake ‘em in the heart, and whatever you do, never invite a mosquito into your home.
Where was I? Oh, yes, distilling fact from fiction about how to ward off our favorite seasonal nuisance.
Mosquitoes weren’t even on my mind this year until Memorial Day weekend, and a trip Up North to a friend’s cabin. I do not exaggerate when I say hundreds of these bloodsuckers swarmed the head of my slow-moving 5-year-old, his pudgy cheeks rendered helpless as he tried to shield them with his fists. Later while our families were crowding into the minivan, our normally outdoorsy kids screamed bloody murder for my friend to hit the gas so we could escape the biblical-scale infestation.
But what really works — and what doesn’t — to protect yourself from this summer’s onslaught? I contacted two myth-busters on this topic: Alex Carlson, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District, and Matt Aliota, a vector biologist whose lab at the University of Minnesota studies the interaction between viruses and mosquitoes.
Is it really a bad year for mosquitoes?
“For lot of people, it feels like this year is a lot worse,” Carlson said, who says on average the levels are similar to those seen in 2019 and 2020. “Last year, there were almost no mosquitoes for pretty much the duration of the entire summer because of the drought.”
That said, some pockets are experiencing above-average mosquito populations this year because of heavier rain or higher water levels, he added. So if you live in a part that has been wetter than usual, it could be that the mosquitoes are indeed back with a vengeance.
Is my suffering worse than yours?
My dad used to console me by saying mosquitoes couldn’t resist my “sweet blood.” Carlson says people like me have “won the genetic lottery.” Fact is, some people are more attractive to mosquitoes because of their underlying biology — the amounts of carbon dioxide they emit or the natural scents they carry, for example.
Some of it can be activity-based, Aliota adds. If you’re huffing and puffing on a strenuous hike, you might feel them coming for you. Potential bummer alert for your July 4th gathering: Alcohol consumption can also stimulate mosquito attraction.
They also detect us by body heat. So if your body temperature naturally runs warmer than the average person, consider yourself desirable.
“That’s why if you’re ever around a pregnant woman in the summertime, she tends to get more mosquito bites than anybody else,” Carlson said.
So the solution is clear: Invite a pregnant friend to your barbecue.
What works?
If you’re just sitting in the backyard or are hosting a patio get-together, one of the most effective things you can do is plug in an oscillating fan to keep the air moving, Aliota said. The wind can help keep mosquitoes from finding you and your guests.
