Floodwater mosquitoes lay eggs in damp soil, and those eggs are able to survive the winter. They hatch when standing water covers them, and snowmelt causes that to happen all at once, causing an intense first swarm of the season.
If your yard is swarming before you've given mosquitoes a second thought, the snow that just melted is often the reason. Southwest Michigan piles up heavy lake-effect snow, and all of it has to go somewhere when spring warms up.
Snowmelt works wonders for floodwater mosquitoes. These are the ones that lay their eggs, not in water, but damp soil, in low areas they expect to flood later. The eggs are tough. They can sit there all winter, frozen, dormant, waiting. Then comes the snowmelt, which gives the eggs the “go signal” to hatch—often in enormous numbers, all at once.
In places where snowpack and floodwater mosquitoes are not as much of an issue, the mosquito season is usually a slow burn. Not so in Michigan. A property full of floodwater mosquito eggs and saturated low ground breeds mosquitoes by the thousands, immediately. One day, you’re fine, the next, you walk into a cloud of insects.
Timing varies year to year. But what you can do about it doesn’t change much. Clear the drainage issues you can so water doesn’t sit for long. And if you know mosquitoes will be an issue, get treatment early so you can knock down winter’s survivors and prevent them from breeding the ones that will bite you in May and June.
If you're tired of mosquito season starting the moment the snow disappears, Mosquito Squad of Southwest and South Central Michigan can help. This can be done through the application of an early-season barrier treatment that helps protect your yard with up to 90% reduction in mosquito activity, maintained on a recurring 21-day cycle by a trained technician.
