CHARLOTTE, N.C. — If you feel bites from mosquitos have been more frequent this summer, you’re not alone. The WCNC Charlotte mosquito meter, powered by Mosquito Ranger shows the mosquito level through Saturday in the red.
“Intense,” said Charlotte mom Sarah Ritzer, “Another word to describe them would be persistent."
She said the pesky, welt-causing mosquitos are worse this year than any year she can remember.
“The virtual learning, but also not to mention the pandemic we're going through its very nice to be able to move outside our four walls and move into our backyard,” said Ritzer. But despite multiple spray treatments to her backyard, Ritzer said she and her family still can’t go outside without being attacked.
"It's been a little warm but just to get some outdoor time with the kids since they're in virtual school it's very important and we have not been able to do that without fully spraying our bodies down on our own yard," she said.
So why are mosquitoes so plentiful this year? We asked Tucker Pace, the operations manager at Truly Nolen Pest Control, who’s been treating mosquitoes for 13 years. He said it all started this winter.
“We had the 80-degree weather in February, but we had no hard frost so they got an early start and they carried on from there,” said Pace, who said the heat and abundance of rain this summer contributed.
Pace said homeowners can opt to do extra spray treatments, but he said that’s only half the battle.
“Tip and toss, tip and toss,” he said, adding that any standing water is the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.
“Check your birdbaths, are your gutters holding water? Have you cleaned your gutters out lately?” he said.
When spending time outside, Pace recommends bug spray or turning on a fan.
“They’re not great fliers,” he said.
So how long should we expect mosquitoes to stick around? Experts say mosquitoes begin to trail off once the weather starts dipping below 50.