Drought brings early mosquito season - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

The weather conditions in central Indiana this summer are leading to an explosion of mosquitoes in local neighborhoods.

That's led to mosquito spraying a month ahead of schedule, because the threat of the West Nile Virus has shown up earlier.

"We've found quite a few, quite a few positive West Nile mosquitoes and that draws more of us going out and spraying," said Matt Sinsko with the Marion County Health Department.

"The bites seem to hurt worse now than they did years ago," said Ed Smith as he watched a Marion County Health Department truck spraying his Beech Grove neighborhood.

It's been the same all across the state, with mosquitoes in 30 counties already testing positive for the West Nile Virus.

"Last year at this time, we still did not have any mosquitoes testing positive for West Nile Virus. We're a whole month ahead of schedule," said Sinsko.

The reason, according to biologists, has been the drought.

Less rain falling has meant fewer areas of standing water where mosquitoes lay their eggs. That has meant more mosquito eggs in one place.

"See, I thought it would have been just the opposite. With no water, I thought we'd have no mosquitoes," said Smith.

Don't let the hot dry weather fool you. Biologists said with record temperatures this summer, mosquito eggs have hatched faster than ever.

"It could be as short as a week when it's temperatures like this," said Sinsko.

That's why checking the usual spots where mosquitoes lay their eggs, like a ditch on the east side, has been part of the daily routine.

"I hope they get 'em. I don't want to get bitten. I don't think anybody else wants to get bitten," said Sterling Williams, who lives near the ditch.

It didn't take long for the crew to find what they were looking for either. They found hundreds of mosquito eggs in one spot, which now, will never hatch and possibly become carriers of the West Nile Virus.