Mosquito season is almost here: What to expect for 2024

Meteorologist Nick Bannin spoke with Wizzie Brown, an Entomologist at Texas A&M Agrilife, about the increasing activity from the more than 70 species of mosquitos here in Texas.

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- As temperatures continue warming as we go through spring, and rounds of rain and thunderstorms bring us beneficial water, we're also met with more mosquitos.

KXAN Meteorologist Nick Bannin spoke with Wizzie Brown, an Entomologist at Texas A&M AgriLife, about the increasing activity from the more than 70 species of mosquitos that live here in Texas.

KXAN Meteorologist Nick Bannin: Wizzie, we're getting out of winter now into spring, what have mosquitoes been doing up until this point?

Wizzie Brown, Entomologist, Texas A&M AgriLife: Unfortunately, they are still with us during winter, depending on what species we're dealing with. But they are definitely becoming more active in the springtime. So when it starts warming up, that kind of speeds everything up for insects.

Bannin: Now we're heading through April. What are you seeing as far as the mosquito population so far?

Brown: They are definitely starting to become more active. I know when I'm working out in the yard, I'm starting to see more Aedes mosquitoes, which are the black and white ones...those are also the daytime biters. So I expect that people start seeing those when they're outside more. So I think it's really important that people consider wearing some sort of insect repellent or long-sleeved, long pants.

Bannin: What are you forecasting for the months ahead as far as mosquito coverage goes compared to normal?

Brown: If we have significant amounts of rainfall, then we're going to have more mosquito activity, especially if we have a really heavy rainfall, because then we start getting the floodwater mosquitoes, but we can have mosquitoes around our homes all the time if we have standing water somewhere, and it doesn't take a whole lot. So make sure that you're going around regularly emptying out any containers that might be holding water because those are prime mosquito breeding habitats.

Bannin: When do you typically see those mosquito numbers coming back down again as the weather gets hot, and then usually drier?

Brown: Unfortunately, we usually don't see it until it actually starts cooling off. When it starts to get hot, we may have a little bit less, but that's usually when people start irrigating and so then we have that standing water again around the house. And so we start having that population that I guess it's just kind of closer then, but we're causing it ourselves. So people can manage that more so than the rainfall by adjusting watering schedules and emptying out containers of water.