What’s up with all of the flies and mosquitoes? Blame Tucson’s monsoon rains | Local news

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A mosquito of the species Aedes aegypti feeds on human blood by the white markings on its legs.

James Gathany, CDC

With this year’s record breaking monsoons, Tucson has seen an increase in the number of insects floating around, including pests like mosquitoes and flies.

“We have had very dry and hot summers with very little rain, so you will likely see much increased activity with insects,” said Gene Hall, manager of the University of Arizona Insect Collection.

Because of the rain, the mosquitoes have more moisture available to breed, Hall said. Because of this, people are seeing more mosquito activity in Tucson recently.

A popular species of mosquito in Tucson is the Aedes aegypti, also known as the knuckle-biter. They’re usually seen outside in the morning or at dusk and tend to be attracted to the lower parts of the legs, Hall said.

In addition to knuckle-biting, house mosquitos are also common in Tucson. They tend to come out at night and hang around on walls.

Like mosquitoes, Hall has noticed more moths and flies in the Tucson area. The monsoons provide favorable conditions for some species of flies, Hall said.

“In the past month, a month and a half, we’ve seen an increase in moth activity, especially in a species attached to mesquite trees,” Hall said.

Since plants like mesquite trees do well with the help of rain, it means more insects have food, which leads to an increase in insects.

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