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Dry conditions lead to fewer mosquitoes for Memorial Day weekend

A female <em>Anopheles gambiae </em>mosquito feeds on human blood through a mosquito net.
Emily Lund
A female Anopheles gambiae mosquito feeds on human blood through a mosquito net.

If you are in a dry area in Michigan, you might not need to worry about mosquitoes this Memorial Day weekend.

The small bugs might not be a problem this holiday weekend because Michigan is experiencing dry weather, and mosquitoes require water to develop.

“If we all of a sudden started to get a rain period and we saw 2-3 inches of rain that would fill the low lying areas with water sufficient for the mosquito larvae to develop, then a week to 10 days after those rains, we would see adult mosquitoes in numbers,” Entomologist at Michigan State University Howard Russell said.

However, where people are located could affect the number of mosquitoes in their area, according to Russell.

“There is a good chance that an area that is swampy and has ambient mosquito breeding areas, then I would expect to find mosquitoes,” he said. “But if you are in an area where… rain and snow melt pools have dried up then there's a chance you might not see that many.”

Depending on the precipitation, Russell said the number of mosquitoes can change quickly heading into the summer

He also said repellent and loose fitting clothing can help to keep the bugs away.