Mosquitoes are officially back. Here’s how to avoid bites and diseases
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Experts advise draining standing water, dressing covered, and using repellents.
- Mosquito-borne illness season in North Carolina runs from May through October.
- North Carolina recorded a West Nile virus case last summer
North Carolina had its first West Nile Virus case since 2022 last summer, but experts say not to panic as mosquito season starts up again.
Brian Byrd, a professor in environmental sciences researching mosquito borne illnesses at Western Carolina University, said that while mosquitos are present year round, the season for mosquito borne illness is May through October, with most illness concentrated July through September.
Preventing mosquito bites
Byrd said the best way to stay safe from mosquitoes is to:
- Drain. Do not let standing water stay on your property wherever you can help it. Try to avoid letting water collect in flower pots, buckets, tarps and children’s toys.
- Dress. Wear long sleeves and pants if possible, though the weather may not allow this.
- Defend. Wear EPA approved repellents, like DEET. The EPA has a search tool to help people locate the correct repellents for themselves, depending on the ingredients and duration of time spent outside.
“The thing to remember is the risk overall is very, very low of getting a mosquito borne disease,” Byrd said. “Once you start to get those mosquito bites, let’s start working on immediately to dress and defend and then look for some habitat, or maybe some areas in your yard that might be causing problems.”
Byrd also said that the response to mosquito bites can be complex. It may be hard to pinpoint what factors cause strong responses to bites.
“If you’re being bit by different mosquitoes, you might respond differently. If you’re being bit by more (mosquitos) . . . your body might respond differently. So it’s a little tricky to tease out, and I’ll say that some of this is still unsettled science,” Byrd said.
Mosquito-borne diseases
Durham had a case of West Nile virus last summer, but Michael Reiskind, an entomology professor researching mosquito borne disease, said not to panic.
“When we do have outbreaks in North Carolina, you have to balance those things (protective measures) and getting outside and enjoying the outdoors, exercise, and those things are likely more important and in the long run, healthier for you than overreacting to a rare event,” Reiskind said.
Reiskind said that if there is an outbreak, there is often community-wide action to mitigate risk, like spraying for mosquitos. However, this may happen too late, and it is best to focus on personal protective measures.
“The risk of these diseases is definitely going up, but it’s incredibly hard to say when North Carolina will be affected,” Reiskind said.
“We did have a pretty big West Nile year last year with outbreaks and an outbreak in Durham. But these only occur when everything comes together in the right way, and we will see that more and more in the future, but it’s very hard to predict exactly where and when.”
What is La Crosse virus?
Byrd’s research is primarily on La Crosse virus, a mosquito borne illness that is often asymptomatic. When symptoms appear and cases are documented, they are primarily pediatric cases.
He said that in the last few years there have been more West Nile cases than La Crosse, but the opposite is true in the last twenty years. It can be hard to measure, especially when many La Crosse cases are never symptomatic. The risk is also regional — in Western North Carolina, La Crosse is a bigger concern.
Contact your local health department
If you are struggling to control mosquito populations on your property or have concerns about illness, contact your local health department. They can help you determine your best next steps, including potentially spraying for mosquitos.
Reiskind also said that monitoring is not as strong as it once was. The state’s dedicated Public Health Pest Management was cut in 2011.
“There’s a saying that the best public health is invisible, which means that you know public health protects people without them knowing they’re being protected,” Reiskind said.
“The downside with that is that when nothing happens, people take for granted that protection that is there, and it becomes something that can be easily cut out of a budget.”
Mecklenburg Environmental Health Services can be contacted at 980-314-1620. Wake County Public Health’s communicable disease staff can be contacted at 919-250-4462.
This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 11:07 AM.
