TYLER, Texas — East Texas is slowly transitioning from winter into spring, and with the springtime comes bugs.
February was hot - according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas hit 90+ degrees six different times last month.
Now, the February heat paired with a rainy beginning to March has created the perfect environment for mosquitoes to make their presence felt.
"Probably a little early this year because February was so warm, and it was followed by rain. And so we’ve had a pretty wet March so far, and it’s going to rain even tonight," UT Tyler Chair of the Biology Department Lane Williams said.
Mosquitoes don’t need a lake or a river’s worth of water either. If you’ve been seeing them in your house, apartment, or property they could be attracted to the smallest and seemingly most insignificant source of water.
"Biggest problem we have is people not keeping their potted plants watered, picking up areas where tin cans and tires hold water, because just a little cup of water will hold a lot of mosquito eggs," Alpha Pest Control owner Dennis Newberry said.
At this point it’s too early to tell if the mosquito heavy end of winter will yield similar results in the coming months, but if the conditions stay on course it could be a long spring and summer.
"This year I would say we’re sort of in a wait and see pattern. Yes, we did have a warm February, and yes we’ve started to get rainy. Those are the two elements that mosquitoes need. They need water to reproduce and for their larvae to develop, and the heat, you know they’re attracted to. So if we keep getting rain and it stays warm, then yes, we’ll likely have mosquito problems," Williams said.