Recent Rain Could Create More Mosquito Breeding Grounds

Expert reminds North Texans to check for anything that could hold standing water

The steady rain across North Texas promises to create even more breeding grounds for mosquitoes that can carry West Nile virus.

"Give us a couple weeks with the water that we're getting now, and that could be more mosquitoes," said Michael Merchant, an urban entomologist with the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Dallas.

Even without much rain until now, large numbers of mosquitoes have already been trapped across North Texas, and the steady rain isn't going to help.

"It may not be a strong enough rain that it's actually flushed the sewers and flushed out all the dirty stinky water out of holes and things, but this is certainly enough to fill up little containers in people's backyards," Merchant said.

Now is the time to look around your house and get rid of any standing water and anything that could hold it.

"Maybe an old bucket or something that’s sitting outside that you’ve forgotten about ... turn those things over, dump them out [and] make sure that there’s nothing out there that’s catching water right now," Merchant said.

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