SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns are finally celebrating warm weather, but the run-off from this year's record snowfall could bring one of the worst mosquito seasons to the state.
“There's a lot of water out there, and (with it) comes a lot of potential for mosquitoes. So we're expecting that to be a pretty abundant mosquito season and we're gearing up for that,” said Greg White, Assistant Director of Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement.
Dr. White said his office is already getting calls about the insects being active in mid-April.
“There are certain mosquito species that like to hibernate as adults and when the weather starts to warm up, then they become active,” he explained.
What people might not realize is that they are creating mosquito sites at their homes in the form of garages and sheds.
“It could be buckets, wheelbarrows, toys. It may be things in the front of your yard like catch basins, gutters that are full of water.
"So anything that you can dump out, just dump those out because they'll start to be great sources for mosquitoes to lay their eggs and develop in and become a mosquito site," warned Dr. White.
A new area of standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes, so people should call their local mosquito abatement district to have someone come out to treat it.
