CHANDLER, AZ — It's a busy season for pest control, and EcoGuard's Josh Haggarton is working a yard in the East Valley, treating for mosquitoes.
"This customer has mosquitoes, like everyone does right now," Haggarton said.
He says right now is prime time for mosquitoes.
"We have had a lot of moisture, a lot of rain and this is just really when it is going full force, when it is nice outside for us to be outside, it is nice outside for the bugs," Haggarton said.
It's something reporter Molly Hudson heard from many of you online. Some of you saying you can't even go outside without getting swarmed. Others saying it's the worst they've experienced in years.
The Maricopa County Environmental Services Department says storms are a factor.
"Four or five days later you'll see a lot of mosquito activity, especially during the day time, the day time biting mosquitoes are considered a nuisance, its the mosquitoes that are out at night that you really have to be more aware of for especially West Nile and St. Louis Encephalitis," said John Townsend, Vector Control Division Manager for Maricopa County.
The county traps and tests mosquitoes at hundreds of sites each week for those diseases.
This year, a few more mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile than last year. The county public health department says it's seeing a slight increase in mosquito-borne illness for West Nile virus.
Here's what the county says to do:
- Use repellent.
- Get rid of standing water.
- Fix any spots where they can get inside.
- And tell your neighbors to do the same.
You can report mosquito problems to the county online or by phone.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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