Increased Rain Means More Mosquitoes

Expect mosquito populations to be on the rise with increased rainfall over the next several days.

Most mosquito species prefer to lay eggs in slow-moving or stagnant water. Cookeville Public Works Director Greg Brown said the city offers residents free larvacide to prevent the population from growing.

“We have these larvecide tablets that you can put in standing water that we give away at city hall with instructions on how to use them if you do have some standing water that you want to try and get rid of the eggs,” Brown said.

Brown said so far, the city has not received many complaints about mosquito problems. Popular breeding areas include fish ponds, creeks and rain gutters.

“Different kind of mosquitoes breed in different things,” Brown said. “Some of them breed in wooded areas where they do not need much water, and some need more water than others. I would think with the extra rain we are getting it will probably lead to an increase in their population.”

One tablespoon of water can breed over 200 mosquitoes. During warm weather, mosquitoes can complete their life cycle in four days.

“One of the big things is try to eliminate standing water as much as you can,” Brown said. “If you do want to spray, there are several home supply places that have sprays available.”

Brown said the city has not sprayed public areas for mosquitoes in about 30 years.