After The Rain Expect Mosquito Influx In Georgia
Experts are expecting a large influx in mosquitos in the upcoming weeks.
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The recent rains from tropical depression Alberto could cause an influx of mosquitoes in coming weeks, according to epidemiologists.
“We’ll likely see a big emergence of flood water species of mosquitoes,” said Rosemarie Kelly, an epidemiologist with the Georgia Department of Public Health.
These types of mosquitoes lay their eggs in the soil on the edges of areas that flood and during times of drought, those eggs just sit there and wait for water.
“When you have a drought and the subsequent heavy rains, all of those stockpiled eggs can hatch,” Kelly said.
She expect a fairly large number of these eggs to hatch in 10 to 14 days. These flood water mosquitoes, however, are mostly just a nuisance and don’t carry diseases.
“They’re annoying they can run you indoors but they’re not the ones that transmit disease,” said Roxanne Connelly, Chief Epidemiologist with the Center for Disease control.
The CDC is more concerned with vector species of mosquitoes, those that spread diseases like West Nile or Zika. They breed in containers, which may have filled up with water this past week.
“These mosquito will now come in and lay their eggs on the standing water,” said Connelly. “It may be a few weeks down the road when you start getting those really dangerous mosquitoes out there.”
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