Published 12.46
After a dry winter and spring, this year’s mosquito summer is expected to be milder than normal.
– The result is that there will be fewer mosquitoes, says Anders Lindström, researcher at the Norwegian Veterinary Institute (SVA).
In many parts of the country, the winter and spring have been dry and groundwater levels are low. The mosquitoes in the forest have thus had small and few puddles to hatch in, according to Anders Lindström.
– There are always places where it has been sufficiently humid that mosquitoes still hatch, but in many places the first mosquito attack will be less than average, he says.
Other mosquitoes that later in the summer hatch in permanent bodies of water, such as ponds and lakeshores, are not hit as hard by the drought.
– Then there may be another shock, but they are usually never as numerous as the first wave, says Lindström.
Active in heat
In essence, it is therefore the humidity that affects how many mosquitoes hatch, but the weather also determines how much we notice them.
– If it is very hot, the mosquitoes that have hatched become very active and can be noticed more than if it is cooler. If it gets dry, they like to stay in the shade where it is a little more humid.
He advises anyone who wants to reduce the risk of being bitten to use approved mosquito repellents.
– Then it depends on how sensitive you are. If you feel bad from mosquito bites, you may have to wear long sleeves and long pants even if it’s hot.
Affects species
This year’s forecast is probably welcomed by everyone who is plagued by mosquitoes, but according to Anders Lindström, fewer mosquitoes are not only positive.
– There are no animals that are specialists in eating only mosquitoes, but there are many who eat them anyway. If there are then fewer mosquitoes, they have to eat something else and this can increase the pressure on other species.
He also highlights that prolonged drought affects many other animals negatively.
– During the dry year of 2018, two butterfly species died out in Sweden because the larvae’s host plants withered and died in the drought.
