The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts we could see a warmer winter in North Texas and much of the southern United States, which could lead to a larger mosquito population when spring and summer arrive.
“The higher the humidity in the winter time, the mosquitoes tend to survive longer and well,” University of North Texas Health Science Center Associated Professor Joon Lee explained.
Lee, who is also a medical entomologist, said even a harsh winter wouldn’t completely kill of the mosquito population.
“They are trying to find the warmer place where the relative humid is high," he said. "Maybe underground in structure somewhere, part of a storm drain system, they can survive out of it.”
A larger mosquito population would likely mean ramped up efforts for local mosquito eradication and a strong push for personal protection through use of repellent.
“We can control the West Nile Virus vectors and yet Zika Virus vectors, since we don’t know where the virus is, we can’t really do much," Lee said. "The only thing we can do is apply repellent whenever you go out.”
