MONROE - As temperatures rise in Wisconsin, so do the number of mosquitoes breeding throughout the state.
Summer is peak mosquito breeding season, with the insects taking advantage of the warmer weather and standing water to draw blood and lay eggs.
However, despite a typically wet spring, Susan Paskewitz, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Entomology, said mosquito populations have failed to climb as high as they usually do by the end of June.
"I'm a little surprised about it," Paskewitz said. "We're not really sure what's going on."
Despite this, Paskewitz said she expected mosquito numbers to rise as usual in the coming months, adding that she has already encountered large swarms of the insects at several field locations throughout Dane County.
Paskewitz said most of the known 55 mosquito species in Wisconsin are floodwater breeders, laying their eggs in moist soil. The eggs then hatch after rainfall raises the water levels.
Marshes and drainage ditches are common breeding grounds for mosquitoes, Paskewitz said, but they also lay eggs in man-made containers in urban environments.
Melissa Briggs, owner of The Garden Spot in Monroe, said a number of local plants can ward off mosquitoes.
Briggs recommended citronella or lemongrass, whose fragrances repel mosquitoes by masking other scents they are attracted to. Although these plants thrive in warm weather, they are annual plants that die after a year.
Briggs added that some people also attest to the mosquito-repelling qualities of herbs such as lavender and basil.
Whatever means people use to repel the insects, the stakes are high this year. Paskewitz said Dane County's first case of West Nile virus this year was found in a dead bird earlier this week, although she said that no mosquitoes have yet been found carrying the virus.
Paskewitz said her Medical Entomology Laboratory will examine mosquito specimens throughout the summer, searching not only for cases of West Nile, but also for the Zika virus, which can be transmitted from an infected person to a different mosquito population.
The Zika virus causes only mild illness in most people, but pregnant women infected by the virus can transmit the virus to their child, which can cause severe birth defects and brain malformations.
No case of Zika has been discovered as far north as Wisconsin, however. Paskewitz said it would be unlikely for the virus to have spread so far in so short a time.
Summer is peak mosquito breeding season, with the insects taking advantage of the warmer weather and standing water to draw blood and lay eggs.
However, despite a typically wet spring, Susan Paskewitz, professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Department of Entomology, said mosquito populations have failed to climb as high as they usually do by the end of June.
"I'm a little surprised about it," Paskewitz said. "We're not really sure what's going on."
Despite this, Paskewitz said she expected mosquito numbers to rise as usual in the coming months, adding that she has already encountered large swarms of the insects at several field locations throughout Dane County.
Paskewitz said most of the known 55 mosquito species in Wisconsin are floodwater breeders, laying their eggs in moist soil. The eggs then hatch after rainfall raises the water levels.
Marshes and drainage ditches are common breeding grounds for mosquitoes, Paskewitz said, but they also lay eggs in man-made containers in urban environments.
Melissa Briggs, owner of The Garden Spot in Monroe, said a number of local plants can ward off mosquitoes.
Briggs recommended citronella or lemongrass, whose fragrances repel mosquitoes by masking other scents they are attracted to. Although these plants thrive in warm weather, they are annual plants that die after a year.
Briggs added that some people also attest to the mosquito-repelling qualities of herbs such as lavender and basil.
Whatever means people use to repel the insects, the stakes are high this year. Paskewitz said Dane County's first case of West Nile virus this year was found in a dead bird earlier this week, although she said that no mosquitoes have yet been found carrying the virus.
Paskewitz said her Medical Entomology Laboratory will examine mosquito specimens throughout the summer, searching not only for cases of West Nile, but also for the Zika virus, which can be transmitted from an infected person to a different mosquito population.
The Zika virus causes only mild illness in most people, but pregnant women infected by the virus can transmit the virus to their child, which can cause severe birth defects and brain malformations.
No case of Zika has been discovered as far north as Wisconsin, however. Paskewitz said it would be unlikely for the virus to have spread so far in so short a time.