PHOENIX (AZFamily)<\/b> \u2014 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. <\/p>\n
The lack of monsoon action over the last few years has kept the pests at bay, but that\u2019s not the case this year. Experts said certain mosquitoes are not just a nuisance; they can be dangerous.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty much like a black swarm,\u201d said Patsy West, who said something as simple as walking her dogs has felt impossible lately. \u201cI can\u2019t stand it.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI probably have like 24 on me right now,\u201d West said. \u201cI can\u2019t go outside and it\u2019s depressing. I\u2019m just locked in my house.\u201d <\/p>\n
The complex\u2019s management told Arizona\u2019s Family they are aware of the problem, and on Thursday, pest control crews were on site spraying to help reduce the need for swatting.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis year is the worst. I didn\u2019t really expect to have mosquitoes when I moved to Arizona. It\u2019s the desert,\u201d said West.<\/p>\n
Turns out, mosquito misery across the Valley.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever you have rains like this, it\u2019s just an everywhere problem,\u201d 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. <\/p>\n
\u201cLots of complaints coming in, several hundred a day,\u201d said Townsend, who explained the recent rain is to blame.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can have a neighborhood that goes from almost zero mosquitoes one day to about four days after a rain, thousands of mosquitoes,\u201d said Townsend.<\/p>\n
Mosquito surveillance<\/a> is a year-round job at 850 sites across Maricopa County.<\/p>\n So far this year, the lab<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Both viruses can have serious health consequences.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s rare and in some cases it can be fatal,\u201d said Townsend.<\/p>\n But the good news is, Townsend said, you only really need to worry about the ones that bite at night.<\/p>\n \u201cThe daytime biting mosquitoes, I hate them,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the chances that they have any kind of disease are almost zero.\u201d<\/p>\n Townsend said it should get better by Thanksgiving. In the meantime, check out the Maricopa County Vector Control<\/a> website for some tips and tricks to fight the bite. <\/p>\n See a spelling or grammatical error in our story? Please click here to report it<\/a>.<\/p>\n