The insects are not only a nuisance, but they also pose a major threat of mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever and West Nile virus.
If at one time it was thought mosquitoes couldn’t survive in desert climates, this city is a case study in how wrong that is.
Mosquitoes typically prefer more tropical, humid conditions, but these biting machines have exploded in number throughout the Las Vegas Valley in recent years because of a host of changes.
A mix of urban development, climate change, insecticide resistance and genetic adaptations are creating a more hospitable environment for the insects in southern Nevada.
Lake Mead is drying up. Where is the water for more mosquitoes?
You see those thousands of storm drains on the side of the road?
Perfect for mosquitos. Always have a little bit of still water, lots of algae/grass clippings/leaves to munch on, and no natural predators to feed on them.
Each one has the potential to crank out a few hundred mosquitos each week.
Annoyingly they’ll breed in even the tiniest puddle.
Climate change alone is allowing them to multiply in areas previously considered unhabitable just because of some increased rainfall and cloud coverage preventing rapid evaporation.