Brace Yourself, South Jersey: Mosquitoes Might Be Bad This Year

Have gotten outside to enjoy this bit of warm weather we've been having?

I was able to get out and about yesterday to bask in the 80+ degree weather and, let me just tell you, it was glorious. My boyfriend and I are pretty active people anyway, so when the weather starts warming up, that's our time to shine. There is always, however, a downside to the weather getting warmer - the bugs. The worst of them are the mosquitoes.

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It sounds like Deet is going to be the new body splash of the season since it's been predicted that this year's going to a rough one for our area in the mosquito department. According to both the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Pests.org, the mosquito forecast for the 2021 summer season isn't looking too great. We'll be dealing with more than the average number of mosquitoes compared to recent years.

Multiple factors play into this prediction:

1.) More Rainy Days

The mosquito formula is simple: the wetter the year, the more mosquitoes there will be. Mosquitoes love still water. It's their breeding ground. Since we've had a, shall we say moist (*sensitive word alert*) year, it'll soon be a mosquito's paradise around here.

2.) Warmer Temperatures All Year Round

Not sure if you've noticed, but it really wasn't too bad of a winter this year. The colder months weren't so brisk, so the overall air temperature is warmer than the average for this time of year. Since mosquitoes LOVE warm temps, they'll love South Jersey even more this year.

3.) Early-Onset Warm Weather

Since it's been getting warmer earlier than normal, mosquitoes will, most likely, emerge sooner than in previous years. Again, this has to do with the environment being perfect for them to exist and breed without fear of it dipping below 50 degrees.

So, make sure you stock up on Off! and citronella candles, because if these statistics are any indication of what's to come, we could be in for a lot of mosquito bites this summer.

Source: Pests.org