F.A.Q.

DIY treatments were never providing full control in the first place. The most effective mosquito control works on a population level, but most DIY treatments go after individual mosquitoes.

Barrier treatments should generally happen every 2–3 weeks through the mosquito season. That is about how long the products used to treat last, and timely retreatment prevents mosquitoes from repopulating between treatments.

If you develop fever, severe headache, body aches, confusion, or a rash in the days after a mosquito bite, seek medical attention. These can be signs of a mosquito-borne illness like West Nile virus.

Yes, and that’s how it goes for most people who catch West Nile virus. Most show no symptoms, a few show flu-like symptoms, and a small minority develop serious disease.

Mosquitoes transmit a startling number of diseases, well over a dozen significant ones worldwide, which is why they're considered the deadliest animal on the planet. Diseases they carry include malaria, dengue, Zika, yellow fever, chikungunya, West Nile virus, and Eastern equine encephalitis. 

A mild winter can give mosquito season a head start, since more eggs and overwintering adults survive and emerge earlier. But winter matters less for mosquitoes than people assume. What really drives a season is spring and summer rainfall and warmth.

Mosquitoes get indoors through the small gaps around doors, windows, and the garage, drawn by the cool shade, the carbon dioxide you exhale, and any standing water inside. The garage is a particular favorite because it's dark and cool compared to the hot yard, which makes it an easy daytime resting spot. 

No, not all mosquitoes die in winter. Many survive the cold in a dormant state, some as adults hibernating in sheltered spots, others as eggs that wait out the freeze and hatch in spring.

Winters are becoming milder and spring is coming earlier. That means more mosquitoes survive the winter and they start breeding earlier in the year.

Around 4 in 5 people infected with West Nile virus never develop symptoms at all. Around 1 in 5 get a mild, flu-like illness with fever, headache, body aches, and sometimes a rash. Fewer than 1 in 100 develop a serious neurological illness that requires medical care. 

Mosquito season has been trending longer in recent years. Warm weather brings mosquitoes, and recently, spring has been warming up earlier and the first hard frost of the year has been coming later.

In Michigan, ticks can carry Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, and in rare cases Powassan virus. The blacklegged tick and the American dog tick are the primary species of concern in the Grand Rapids area.