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Boreal Community Media

Mosquito Woes: Wet spring could lead to buggy summer

Jun 06, 2022 09:56AM ● By Content Editor
Image: Syed Ali 

By Larissa Milles - KBJR 6 News - Updated June 5, 2022


Mosquito season is upon us, and this time around it could be worse than in previous years.

Increased rain means more standing water this summer, something mosquitoes love.

“They need moisture, we got the moisture, they need the heat, we’re starting to get the heat, so we’re gonna see that there’s just a ton of them out there,” said Demian Hansen, who owns Doctor Mosquito, a local tick and mosquito control company.

He said he expects the bugs to be much more aggressive this summer due to increased wetland.

“You’ve got kind of the perfect recipe for sure, the perfect cocktail, to really make the mosquitoes mature fast and to do it in an environment where they’re not really impeded by anything,” Hansen said.

Because of our long winters, Hansen said people yearn for the few months of summer we have, without the bugs buzzing.

“We have such a limited ability to be outside,” Hansen said. “People want to be able to be out with their families and their friends or send their kids outside and truly enjoy themselves.”

That’s a sentiment Hermantown resident Jennifer Mellin said she echoes.

“We’re boxed inside all winter, especially in Duluth and Hermantown, so when you can be outside, you need to be outside, it’s awesome,” said Mellin.

Mellin and her family utilize Doctor Mosquito. She said it was a decision they made when they made the Northland their home.

“We moved up here about four years ago from the Twin Cities and realized in Hermantown it’s awfully wet, and our kids love to play and be outside, and we really couldn’t do it,” Mellin said.

Bug spray can provide a temporary solution to detract mosquitoes, but long term, the CDC recommends removing standing water from areas around your home.


To see the original report and read related stories, follow this link to the KBJR 6 News website.