After a relative windfall at the beginning of the summer, the nuisance caused by mosquitoes has increased considerably from mid-August. Researchers from Wageningen University & Research (WUR) wrote this on nature news website Nature Today. They expect that the nuisance will increase even further due to the current high temperatures.
The fact that mosquito nuisance was relatively minor at the beginning of the summer is the result of the long period without rain at the end of May and the beginning of June, according to the scientists. As a result, there were very few breeding grounds for the larvae of the mosquitoes to develop.
Because it rained heavily in July and August, this probably changed during that period. The larvae that hatched from their eggs at the end of July reached adulthood four weeks later, after which they caused a nuisance.
Nuisance peak expected
The WUR researchers base their findings on reports from their own research project mosquitoradar.nl, which has been monitoring this for three years now. People can indicate here how much nuisance they experience and how many mosquitoes they have seen.
Due to the current heat, researchers expect a peak in mosquito nuisance in the near future. With higher temperatures, more female mosquitoes actively look for blood and the development of larvae is also much faster than when it is colder, as is normal in September. Due to the rain in recent weeks, there are still many breeding grounds where mosquitoes can develop this late summer.
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