Mosquitoes Arriving Soon

ST. CLOUD -- It won't be long now before we hear the buzzing of Minnesota's "other" state bird...the mosquito.

Jim Stark heads up the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District in the Twin Cities. He says the weather conditions have been ripe for a bumper crop of the buzzing pests.  Heavy rains earlier this spring have replenished many ponds and wetlands with needed water.  Warm temperatures recently are creating the perfect hatching conditions for mosquitoes now.

Stark says you can limit your exposure to mosquitoes by avoiding the outdoors at dawn and dusk, wear repellant and don't let standing water sit in old tires, bird baths and children's toys for more than a week.