Local Health Officials Say Mosquito Season Starting Early This Year

Local health officials said due to the warm and wet start to spring, mosquito season is starting earlier than normal.

“Your yard guys put pre-emergent down, we kind of do a pre-emergent for bugs. We didn't have a chance to do that this year. We started spraying for mosquitoes in February,” said Mosquito Joe Owner Rich Anthony.

Anthony said if you can’t afford his service, the best thing to do is get rid of any standing water around your house. He said accordion style drains attached to gutters can be a huge breeding ground for mosquitoes.

The OKC-County Health Department said it has 25 traps set up around the country. The traps are able to track mosquitoes that carry of the Zika virus.

“We are trying to make sure if they do show up here we know about it,” said OKC-County Health Dept. Dir. Phil Maytubby.

Health officials are also encouraging the use of pet and livestock safe anti-mosquito briquettes, and granules in standing water around your home.

This week, Oklahoma State University entomologists warned that recent storms mean more floodwater mosquitoes or Gallinippers.

The Gallinippers aren’t known to carry disease, but their bite can be six times larger than that of normal mosquito.