How Climate Change is Impacting the Length of Mosquito Season

Climate change, driven by consistently rising global temperatures, has noticeably extended the mosquito season across the United States.

Climate change, with its cause of consistently rising global temperatures, has noticeable lengthened mosquito season across the United States. This has been an ongoing issue for decades, with more than two-thirds of the country experiencing a steady increase in the number of “mosquito days.” However, the increase has been rapidly accelerating in the last two decades with around 25 states now experiencing a mosquito season that has lengthened by over 10 days, with some states seeing an increase of more than 15 days.

The most notable changes have been occurring in the Northeast region of the US because that area has been warming at a faster rate than the rest of the country. There will unfortunately be impacts to many Americans' lives that extend beyond simply dealing with annoying mosquitoes for more days out of the year.

The Spread of Diseases

The escalating presence of mosquitoes in the US may heighten the risk of disease outbreaks. These diseases include dengue, malaria, and the West Nile and Zika viruses. Climate change is expected to affect the geographic and seasonal patterns of these vector-borne diseases (diseases caused by pathogens transmitted by arthropods such as mosquitoes). With our new normal of rising temperatures, diseases that were once confined to specific geographical areas are now becoming a real threat to regions that used to be spared entirely.

The West Nile virus was only first detected in the US in 1999, but it has now become the most common cause of mosquito-borne disease in the US. Since then, at least 2,000 cases have been reported every year and experts predict that the number will only get larger every year. This is a concerning development, given that half of the individuals infected since 1999 have experienced symptoms affecting the brain or causing neurological dysfunction.

How Mosquito Thermal Tolerance and Birds Influence Disease Spread

Rising temperatures due to climate change have increased the risk of West Nile virus exposure by accelerating mosquito development. A hotter climate may also cause mosquitoes to bite at a higher rate and influence the incubation period of the disease within mosquitoes. Furthermore, mosquitoes are developing an alarming increased tolerance to heat. With thermal tolerance, mosquitoes can thrive in areas where temperatures were previously too high for them to survive. They are unfortunately adapting to these changes, and this could very well lead to a surge in mosquito populations in those areas that would have limited their growth before.

Since West Nile is spread by infected birds, the effect of climate change on bird migration and breeding patterns could contribute to long-range virus movement as well. People should take the necessary precautions to have the best chance of avoiding the virus. It could benefit them to spend less time outdoors during peak mosquito-biting times and take every precaution to avoid being bitten.

Advancement of Mosquito Control

Scientists have had to develop better technologies to keep up with these changes and anticipate the ones that await us. Significant advancements have already been made in mosquito control technology. This technology includes genetically modified mosquitoes designed to reduce populations, along with surveillance systems to help predict future outbreaks. The main objective is to ensure that technological advancements will work in harmony with the environment without causing harm to other species in the process. The advancements at least offer hope for the reduction in mosquito-borne diseases in a continuously warming climate.

Methods will only become more refined over time and will be widely implemented with experts doing their very best to keep this problem at bay. The mosquito population surge may not be something that can be controlled directly but we can take solace in the fact that many are fighting back against it in technologically innovative ways.