Officials in Carbon County say they’re considering ways to address an increase in mosquitoes following last month’s floods.
Both rain and flooding could be driving the recent uptick in mosquito activity, according to researchers.
Montana State University entomologist Marni Rolston says eggs from floodwater species of mosquito can stay in habitats like roadside ditches for several years before they come into contact with a pool of water.
“We’re getting our usual hatch of floodwater mosquitoes, but in addition to that, we have all these eggs that have remained dormant for the past 1, 2, 3, 4 or even more years because that area hasn’t been flooded," Rolston said. "And so then they’re getting exposed to that flood water and so they’re hatching.”
She says unlike some other species, floodwater mosquitoes do not carry West Nile virus.
Carbon County authorities advise Montanans to interrupt the mosquitoes’ breeding cycle and cut down on insect numbers by removing tires, boat covers and containers on their properties that could hold standing water.
