Brazoria County resident complains of swarming mosquitoes, so when will it end?

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Tuesday, December 13, 2022
Harris County mosquito expert shares why there's an abundance in December, how to get rid of them
Experts share ways to make your yard as inhabitable as possible to those pesky mosquitoes.

FREEPORT, Texas (KTRK) -- Relief is on the way this week, and we're not just talking about cooler weather, but something that may get rid of the pesky mosquitoes.

The recent heat and humidity doesn't make it feel like mid-December, a time of year that also doesn't feel normal with all of these mosquitoes.

"It is kind of upsetting when you have to put your kids in a vehicle to wait for a bus because they're getting bit up by mosquitoes," Lee Taing, a Brazoria County neighbor, said.

According to Taing, the swarms of mosquitoes are out of control.

"Once you come to Brazoria County, broad daylight, whatever time of day, you will get jumped by millions of blood-sucking insects," Taing explained.

Harris County Mosquito Control Director Chris Fredregill said the recent weather explains why there are so many mosquitoes right now.

"With these warmer temperatures and the rainfall that we've recently had, it's been perfect conditions for the cooler species to come out," Fredregill explained.

Help may be only a couple of days away. A cold front should arrive Wednesday.

Experts said this could impact mosquitoes.

"We'll need a few days of sustained cool weather to drop the populations," Fredregill said. "On days, whenever it's cool outside, below 50 degrees, you'll notice a pretty dramatic change in mosquito activity."

If you can't wait, insect spray works. You can also wear something called spatial repellent.

"It's a small device, and basically, it has a small cartridge of a material in there and it slowly heats it up and dissipates it into the area and repels the mosquitoes," Fredregill said. "I wouldn't spend the money on the ones that use noise or sound to repel them."

You probably know about getting rid of standing water and other objects that may hold water. Did you know you also want to make them uncomfortable? What does that mean? If you have long grass, you want to cut it and get rid of weeds because mosquitoes don't like to be in shorter grass.

"To make it as inhospitable for those adults to rest in as possible," Fredregill explained.

"It doesn't matter what you spray, they just keep biting you all over," Taing said. "They keep coming at you."

If you live in Harris County, you can call (713) 440-4800 to have an inspector come to your property to find the source of the problem.

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