The climate of Minneapolis and St. Paul has been described as freezing cold in the winter, and hot and mosquito ridden in the summer. The mosquito is also referred to as "Minnesota's Unofficial State Bird". And according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota has at least 28 species of mosquito that bite humans.
Actually, the winters are freezing cold, and the summers are hot and humid.
But how bad the mosquitoes are, varies from year to year. How much of a problem they are depends on a number of factors. The number of mosquitoes varies every year. The summers of 2006 and 2007 were fairly mild with relatively low numbers of mosquitoes, then the summer of 2008 bought the bugs back.
The authority on mosquitoes in the Twin Cities is the The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District. The MMCD survey and control mosquitoes and other bugs in the Twin Cities metro area. For mosquito control, the MMCD uses helicopters to control larval mosquitoes. They also spray and fog neighborhoods to kill adult mosquitoes across the Twin Cities using vehicles and on foot.
Twin Cities residents can sign up for email alerts at MMCD's website and receive notification for when MMCD is planning to spray in their neighborhood.
And while the MMCD is working to keep mosquito numbers down, there are still always plenty of skeeters left to bite us. So what can we do to avoid being bitten?
Active Mosquito Repellent: There's DEET, widely available in most drugstore mosquito repellents, and then there's natural repellents.
Here's advice from About.com's Chemistry expert's on natural mosquito repellents, and here's suggestions from our Alternative Medicine expert for natural products to keep mosquitoes away.
As well as actively repelling mosquitoes, you can make your home and yard unattractive to them. There's a lot you can do in your yard and around your house to limit where mosquitoes can breed. About.com's Insect expert has lots of tips and advice for controlling mosquitoes in your home and yard, and About.com's Landscaping expert shares many simple ways to make your yard unattractive to mosquitoes.
Actually, the winters are freezing cold, and the summers are hot and humid.
But how bad the mosquitoes are, varies from year to year. How much of a problem they are depends on a number of factors. The number of mosquitoes varies every year. The summers of 2006 and 2007 were fairly mild with relatively low numbers of mosquitoes, then the summer of 2008 bought the bugs back.
The authority on mosquitoes in the Twin Cities is the The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District. The MMCD survey and control mosquitoes and other bugs in the Twin Cities metro area. For mosquito control, the MMCD uses helicopters to control larval mosquitoes. They also spray and fog neighborhoods to kill adult mosquitoes across the Twin Cities using vehicles and on foot.
Twin Cities residents can sign up for email alerts at MMCD's website and receive notification for when MMCD is planning to spray in their neighborhood.
And while the MMCD is working to keep mosquito numbers down, there are still always plenty of skeeters left to bite us. So what can we do to avoid being bitten?
Active Mosquito Repellent: There's DEET, widely available in most drugstore mosquito repellents, and then there's natural repellents.
Here's advice from About.com's Chemistry expert's on natural mosquito repellents, and here's suggestions from our Alternative Medicine expert for natural products to keep mosquitoes away.
As well as actively repelling mosquitoes, you can make your home and yard unattractive to them. There's a lot you can do in your yard and around your house to limit where mosquitoes can breed. About.com's Insect expert has lots of tips and advice for controlling mosquitoes in your home and yard, and About.com's Landscaping expert shares many simple ways to make your yard unattractive to mosquitoes.