SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Today's Why Guy question from Daniel Reber, who asks, "Mr. Why Guy, why haven't I seen a mosquito in months? Could it be because of the wildfires?"
Daniel lives in Sonora, which has been out of the line of fire for recent blazes. He's also lucky he hasn't seen any mosquitoes because they're still around.
It’s well known that if you want to keep them away, smoke from a fire pit will repel mosquitoes, especially from certain types of wood. The best is Eucalyptus. Throw some Rosemary and Sage on the fire and the skeeters will leave your backyard party quickly. All of this is for your own firepit, not for something as massive as wildfires.
"Mosquitoes are typically not impacted much by the wildfires,' Luz Maria Robles of Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District said. "Despite you not seeing many mosquitoes this year, mosquito populations are very similar to what we see on a typical year."
So, the answer to Daniel's question is no, mosquitoes weren't pushed out by the recent wildfires.
As for what attracts the biting pests to you on a daily basis, according to the American Mosquito Control Association: beer drinking outdoors, going barefoot, perfume and having blood type “O” are some factors. You can read the full article from AMCA here.
If you are all of the above, you’d better have plenty of bug repellent on or have a high tolerance for bites!
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