As the climate warms, mosquito-swatting season is getting longer in many parts of the country.
Mosquitoes require warm, humid conditions between about 50 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
“Certain places like the Pacific coast, Ohio Valley, and Northeast are experiencing more of these mosquito days in the present than they did 20 or 40 years ago,” says Rebeca de Jesús Crespo of Louisiana State University.
In a recent analysis, the nonprofit Climate Central looked at four decades of weather data across 242 locations in the U.S.
In more than two-thirds of those places, the number of days suitable for mosquitoes increased over those 40 years — in some areas, by 30 days or more.
There are exceptions. In some areas of the South, hotter, drier weather could shorten mosquito season.
“These are areas that are already hot. And therefore, these increases in temperature are going to be even too extreme for mosquitoes to handle,” De Jesús Crespo says.
But overall, mosquitoes are tormenting more Americans for more days each year. And some carry disease, so it’s important to protect yourself from bites.
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media
