For the seventh year in a row, Atlanta lands the number one spot on national pest control leader Orkin’s Top 50 Mosquito Cities List. Coming in second is Los Angeles, making a 10-spot jump from 2019, the second largest on the list behind Memphis’s 16-spot leap. Three new worst cities for mosquitoes broke into the list this year: San Francisco, Birmingham, Ala. and Fort Wayne, Ind.
With much of the country under a shelter-in-place order, backyards will be busier than ever at the outset of mosquito season as residents seek recreation without leaving home. Increased outdoor time may lead to increased experience with these blood-sucking pests.
Orkin’s Top 50 Mosquito Cities list ranks metro areas by the number of mosquito customers served from April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020. The list includes both residential and commercial treatments.
- Atlanta
- Los Angeles (+10)
- Washington, D.C.
- New York (-2)
- Chicago (-1)
- Dallas-Ft. Worth
- Detroit
- Charlotte, N.C. (+1)
- Philadelphia (-1)
- Miami (+4)
- Raleigh-Durham, N.C. (-1)
- Houston (-7)
- Memphis, Tenn. (+16)Mosquitoatla
- Richmond, Va. (+2)
- Minneapolis (+12)
- Tampa, Fla. (+2)
- Nashville, Tenn.
- Baltimore (-3)
- Grand Rapids, Mich. (+10)
- Orlando, Fla. (+2)
- Boston (-7)
- Indianapolis (-3)
- Norfolk, Va. (-2)
- Phoenix (-13)
- Cleveland (+8)
- St. Louis (-6)
- Greenville, S.C. (-4)
- Tulsa, Okla. (-2)
- Mobile, Ala. (+7)
- New Orleans (+2)
- Albany, N.Y. (-3)
- Knoxville, Tenn. (+7)
- Lafayette, La. (+1)
- West Palm Beach, Fla. (+8)
- Kansas City, Mo. (-10)
- San Francisco (new to list)
- Burlington, N.Y. (-2)
- Austin
- Oklahoma City (-8)
- Baton Rouge, La. (+7)
- Hartford, Conn. (+3)
- Denver (-18)
- Cincinnati (-3)
- Birmingham, Ala. (new to list)
- Jacksonville, Fla. (+1)
- Savannah, Ga. (-1)
- San Antonio (-6)
- Shreveport, La. (+4)
- Fort Wayne, Ind. (new to list)
- Madison, Wis. (-1)
Mosquitoes typically become active when temperatures are above 68 degrees Fahrenheit overnight, and breeding season can start as early as May and last through September. NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center is forecasting above-average temperatures across the country this spring, as well as above-average precipitation in the central and eastern United States, which can indicate an earlier start to mosquito season.
“Mosquitoes are one of the world’s greatest public health threats,” said Frank Meek, Technical Services Manager, Rollins, Inc., Orkin’s parent company. “While we typically think less about that in the U.S., the current pandemic may cause heightened concern over disease transmission.”
Mosquitoes carry vector-borne diseases such as West Nile virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis and Zika. These dangers apply to both human and pets.
By reducing or eliminating conditions that attract mosquitoes and wearing insect repellent you help protect yourself from mosquito bites and the risks associated with them. Attractants include:
- Standing water in bird baths, fountains, potted plants, wading pools and other children’s toys
- Debris in gutters that provide moisture and harborage
- Overgrown shrubbery that afford dark, humid resting places
- Torn or missing window and door screens
