It's summer in the midwest and you know what that means... Roadwork! We've been dealing with road closures for weeks. Summer also means... mosquitos! YAY said no one ever.

The little blood suckers are soon to be here en masse. Just this past February, Iowa State University gave an update on the status of the 2022 projections of the bug's whereabouts in Iowa. According to the story, three Iowa counties: Lee, Des Moines, and Polk County have established themselves.

Essentially, that means an invasive mosquito species survived the winter, which is very unusual in Iowa. Generally, the bugs head to Missouri or somewhere that isn't as cold in the winter months.

Fast forward to the first day of June, and it appears that our neighbors to the northeast are about to experience a huge mosquito boom. The KARX Radar Station which is based in La Crosse, Wisconsin, shows a MASSIVE amount of the bloodsuckers near a known hatch area.

Check out the short video:

Mosquitos and fellow pest mayflies are generally not seen in such high numbers this early in the year. It appears that the mild winter in the midwest, while nice as it was happening, has resulted in the critters returning earlier than usual.

Tips to battle mosquitos

WQAD out of Moline has some tips to fight the bugs without using a ton of chemicals.

  • Lavender: Smells great to us, not to the bug. Rub lavender on your arms and legs before you spend time outside
  • Marigold: (grow these in your garden or backyard - the bugs hate the smell they produce.
  • Mint: Most bugs despise the smell. PS so does my cat. Works well on bugs outside and inside because it's all-natural and smells great... to humans.

LOOK: The most extreme temperatures in the history of every state

Stacker consulted 2021 data from the NOAA's State Climate Extremes Committee (SCEC) to illustrate the hottest and coldest temperatures ever recorded in each state. Each slide also reveals the all-time highest 24-hour precipitation record and all-time highest 24-hour snowfall.

Keep reading to find out individual state records in alphabetical order.

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