SALT LAKE CITY — As most Utahns are painfully aware, the flood plain around the Great Salt Lake is a great place for a mosquito habitat.
“Why do they call them bugs? They bug ya," joked Sandy resident James Brice.
Mosquito Abatement Districts are already out across the state trapping mosquitoes. They say it’s because they want to help illnesses from spreading ahead of the warm summer months.
“That little cluster of eggs is probably about 500 eggs," explained Dr. Christopher Bibbs/ Lab Director, Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District
Bibbs is the Lab Director for the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District, and shared how the ongoing drought can make things worse for many types of mosquitoes.
“It drives everything together into the same places," Bibbs said of the drought conditions. "This is people, birds, and the mosquitoes, other animals… all because there’s very little water available, so whatever water there is, everything finds.”
Mosquitoes don’t require much; as little as one inch of standing water is enough for them to colonize it and turn it into a breeding ground. Dr. Bibbs and the district are most concerned about West Nile Virus and St. Louis Encephalitis.
Antelope Island is bugging out as pesky no-see-ums arrive early:
With the hot temperatures in March, the team has already been sampling and treating water sources.
“They are not currently infected. They’re just the ones that are known to carry it," said Bibbs. "That is bad because an early start for the ones that can vector means that they will get a lead as we go into the summer. We’re kind of anticipating those numbers to be unreasonably bad this summer.
"We’re going to do what we can. We can’t predict everything."
Last year, West Nile and SLE were both present in mosquitoes at the lake. But even though a big mosquito presence is predicted for the Great Salt Lake, Brice is hoping for smooth sailing on his boat.
“They are bugging us. Everybody. They don’t usually bother at all, neither the mosquitoes, but this year, they’re even bugging me," he said.
Brice is now getting out his bug spray and long sleeves.
"When it gets bad, pull my hoodie up and hide it underneath my hat," he explained.
Dawn and dusk are the most common times for mosquitoes to be out, and Dr. Bibbs mournfully said they won’t be going away anytime soon.
