MIDLAND, Texas — The mosquito population in Midland is carrying the West Nile virus. The city announced Friday that positive tests came back following a sample that was sent to the state.
Mosquitoes are annoying insects to deal with, and now a bite could lead to more than just itchy skin. Understanding what mosquitoes are attracted to can help you know how to prevent them from becoming a problem.
Mosquitoes are an important part of the ecosystem, but for us, they are trouble.
“There are several different types of viruses they can carry," said Michael Nickell, museum scientist and naturalist at the Sibley Nature Center.
Now, West Nile virus is a new threat in Midland from mosquito bites.
“It’s through blood meals, so they bite an organism that has the virus, and then when the female bites another organism for another meal, she transmits that virus," said Nickell. "So, the mosquitoes [are] the vector of the disease, so the disease goes from one organism to another or one organism to a human via mosquito bites.”
Nickell says despite our West Texas environment, mosquitoes are still around.
“Even in an arid environment there’s water somewhere," said Nickell. "It just takes just a tiny amount of water for a female to lay her eggs in.”
It’s only the female mosquitoes who eat blood meals and they need water to reproduce, meaning you could attract the insect.
“Whether they have bird baths or Koi ponds or some type of water feature, that’s what the mosquitoes are looking for as far as to lay their eggs, and so that’s an attraction for mosquitoes," said Nickell. "Even just having standing water in a mud puddle or on your lawn after watering your grass can attract mosquitoes.”
To prevent possibly getting the West Nile virus from the bloodthirsty pests, be sure to keep yourself out of harms way.
“Mosquitoes are mostly active at dawn and at dusk, so if you can curtail your activities from those times that helps," said Nickell. "Also, people can wear loose fitting, light-colored clothes. It makes it more difficult for the mosquitoes to actually bite.”
Nickell mentioned that another effective method is for people to apply mosquito repellant to their skin and clothing. Again, with mosquitoes attracted to water, he also noted that eliminating any standing water on your property will be a benefit as well.