Mosquitoes thrive despite drought in Georgia

COBB COUNTY, Ga. — Nearly all of Cobb County is in extreme drought, but mosquitoes continue to thrive with only a small amount of water.

"When drought seasons come, everybody assumes that the mosquito population is going to be lower than normal," said David Maddox, who has fourteen years experience in the mosquito control business.

But that’s just not true; neither in places that have droughts that have spanned several years, like California, nor here in north Georgia, in a drought that’s stretched just months.

With few restrictions on outdoor watering, simply running your sprinklers or using a watering can on your plants gives mosquitoes all they need.

“They’ve been here forever, and they can find what they need. They need just the slightest bit of water,” Maddox said.

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Mosquitoes thrive in areas with standing water, like in the trays under potted plants, in overturned trash can lids, or in the shaded areas of your yard.

"The female mosquito that bites us, she wants to hide from the heat of the sun and get back in the crevices of the yard," Maddox said.

As Zika worries grow,  the Atlanta based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports 48 cases of travel-related Zika in Georgia.

Maddox has seen a 40 percent increase in his business this year.

“People are scared. We get calls every day from girls that are pregnant, girls trying to become pregnant (and) girls hoping to become pregnant. They’re scared. Scared of what Zika might do to their baby,” Maddox said.

While no locally acquired cases have been reported yet, Maddox said the mosquito that’s capable of carrying the Zika virus is in Georgia. For a mosquito to become a Zika carrier, all it takes is for it to bite someone already infected. %

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"They then walk out into their yard in Atlanta and they get bit by a new mosquito from Atlanta. That mosquito is now carrying the Zika virus,” Maddox said.

The first line of defense against mosquitoes is to walk your property and eliminate any standing water. Maddox also said clients have been turning to monthly spraying, as well as misting systems. The misting systems spray a solution of crushed chrysanthemums, a natural mosquito enemy.

“Mosquitoes are easy to get rid of if done in the proper way,” Maddox said.

Cox Media Group