Climate Corner: More mosquitoes, more problems

May 24, 2025

Dr. Danesha Seth Carley

editorial@newsandsentinel.com

On a recent evening, I stepped outside after dinner to water my tomato plants. Within minutes I was swatting at my arms and legs, rushing back indoors with a fresh batch of itchy bites. If you’ve found yourself doing the same, you’re not alone. Mosquito season is getting longer, their numbers are rising, and they’re showing up in places we haven’t seen them before.

As someone who studies pest management and teaches environmental science, I can tell you: These insect pests aren’t just a nuisance; they are a signal. Climate change is shifting the ecology of our daily lives in a variety of ways — big and small. And mosquitoes — those annoying, tiny, winged opportunists — are thriving in the chaos.

Why are there more mosquitoes now?

Mosquitoes are highly sensitive to changes in temperature, moisture, and seasonality. Warmer weather speeds up their life cycle. A mosquito that once took a week or more to develop from egg to biting adult can now do so in just a few days thanks to higher temperatures. That means, with warmer days and nights, more mosquitoes … faster.

Milder temperatures in many parts of the U.S. mean more mosquitoes are surviving the winters. In regions that used to have a natural “reset” period (think “hard frosts”) mosquito populations now persist, in some cases, year-round or, in other cases, return earlier in the spring.

Add in more frequent and intense rainstorms which leave behind puddles and containers full of water–and we’ve created a perfect breeding ground for these little disease-carrying pests. Even drought doesn’t always slow them down; some mosquito species thrive when water becomes stagnant and polluted.

More mosquitoes mean more disease.

In short, climate change has widened the welcome mat for mosquitoes across the U.S., including areas where they were once rare. The real danger isn’t the itch — it’s the diseases, specifically the viruses, they carry. Many species of mosquitoes are vectors, meaning they can spread pathogens from animal to animal, person to person, or animal to human. And as their ranges expand, so does the potential for disease transmission.

West Nile virus is now the most common mosquito-borne illness in the continental U.S., and it’s been detected in nearly every state. In recent years, we’ve also seen outbreaks of dengue fever in Florida and Texas — diseases once considered tropical are becoming domestic threats. Chikungunya and Zika virus remain active concerns in southern parts of the country.

Many of these viruses can cause high fevers, joint pain, long-term fatigue, or worse. And not every infection makes the news. Mild cases may go unreported, while serious ones can burden families and healthcare systems. These mosquito-borne diseases are no longer just problems “somewhere else” — they’re here, and they’re affecting people who have never traveled outside their home state.

Everyday life is being disrupted.

We often think of climate change as something distant — melting glaciers, rising seas, or global temperature trends. But climate change and its impacts are also local. It’s whether you can comfortably sit on your porch here in the Mid-Ohio Valley watching your kids or grandkids play in the yard while you drink a cold beverage in the evening. It’s whether your city or county can afford to keep up with mosquito control efforts after a wet spring.

On an individual level, we can take steps to reduce mosquito breeding sites around our homes and properties: emptying standing water from buckets, flower pots, and gutters — anything that can collect rainwater.

But ultimately, mosquito control is a community and policy issue. It requires investment in public health infrastructure, surveillance, and education. It also demands that we address the root causes — climate change itself. That includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions, building more resilient communities, and preparing our public health systems for the changes already underway.

A buzz we shouldn’t ignore.

I’ve spent my career studying the ways pests impact people and our agricultural systems. I’ve learned this: Pests are often messengers. Their presence tells us something about the health of our ecosystems and ourselves. The rise of mosquitoes is telling us clearly that our world is changing — and, unless you are a mosquito-eating bat, it’s not for the better. The mosquito sounds are a buzzing that we should not ignore.

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Dr. Danesha Seth Carley is director of the Center of Integrated Pest Management at North Carolina State University (and proud West Virginia Mountaineer).