(WFRV) – They are nasty and hard to get rid of. Mosquitos have been out in full force in Northeast Wisconsin recently thanks to rainfall and high humidity.  

Weather plays a major role in Mosquito activity, and mosquito days have changed over the last few decades in Northeast Wisconsin.  

  • Graphics courtesy of Climate Central
  • Graphics courtesy of Climate Central

Mosquito days are defined by days where temperatures are between 50-95 degrees, and relative humidity 42 percent or more. Days increased in 64% of the cities analyzed in the 2010s compared to the 1980s. 

That includes the city of Green Bay. In the 1980s, Green Bay averaged 102 mosquito days per year. The 2010s averaged 111 mosquito days per year. 

Mosquitos days have a wide range in temperatures to account for the air it is possible for them to live in, but Mosquito Squad says they thrive best at temperatures right around 80 degrees. This is with the assumption it is relative humidity is high, which would just need dew points over 60 degrees.

Temperatures can get too hot and dry for mosquitos. If the relative humidity is lower, for example, 90 degrees with a 50-degree dew point, mosquitos will not be actively feeding.

Some species of mosquitos hibernate, but most go dormant in with the cooler temperatures of winter.

Rainfall increases mosquito breeding, and puddles provide the stagnant water in order to multiply. 

With the warm temperatures, high humidity, and some rainfall this week, expect a lot of mosquitos to be out and about.  Mosquitos are most active at dusk and dawn, so be sure to put on your bug repellents then.