PHOENIX (AZFamily) — Mosquitoes have taken over the Valley in droves: they might be swarming all around your head, but the problem is definitely not in your head.
The lack of monsoon action over the last few years has kept the pests at bay, but that’s not the case this year. Experts said certain mosquitoes are not just a nuisance; they can be dangerous.
“It’s pretty much like a black swarm,” said Patsy West, who said something as simple as walking her dogs has felt impossible lately. “I can’t stand it.”
She lives in a luxury apartment in north Scottsdale, but said the last few weeks have been anything but luxurious. Instead, West is covered in mosquito bites.
“I probably have like 24 on me right now,” West said. “I can’t go outside and it’s depressing. I’m just locked in my house.”
The complex’s management told Arizona’s Family they are aware of the problem, and on Thursday, pest control crews were on site spraying to help reduce the need for swatting.
“This year is the worst. I didn’t really expect to have mosquitoes when I moved to Arizona. It’s the desert,” said West.
Turns out, mosquito misery across the Valley.
“Whenever you have rains like this, it’s just an everywhere problem,” said John Townsend, manager of the Maricopa County Vector Control Division. Compared to last year, complaints have doubled and will likely triple by the end of the month, he said.
“Lots of complaints coming in, several hundred a day,” said Townsend, who explained the recent rain is to blame.
“You can have a neighborhood that goes from almost zero mosquitoes one day to about four days after a rain, thousands of mosquitoes,” said Townsend.
Mosquito surveillance is a year-round job at 850 sites across Maricopa County.
So far this year, the lab has detected nearly 130 samples that tested positive for West Nile. In 2024, there were fewer than 50. Almost 100 samples were found to be infected with St. Louis Encephalitis, compared to only five last year.
Both viruses can have serious health consequences.
“It’s rare and in some cases it can be fatal,” said Townsend.
But the good news is, Townsend said, you only really need to worry about the ones that bite at night.
“The daytime biting mosquitoes, I hate them,” he said. “But the chances that they have any kind of disease are almost zero.”
Townsend said it should get better by Thanksgiving. In the meantime, check out the Maricopa County Vector Control website for some tips and tricks to fight the bite.
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