WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — Normally around this time of year, the summer months in Texoma limit the amount of mosquitoes.

“It’s absolutely horrible this year, one of the worst years we’ve seen so far coming up,” owner of Shoop’s Texas Termite David Shoop said.

But this year between the off and on rain, it’s kept them around and may even entice them to stick around even more.

“My wife can stand outside and she won’t get touched and they just swarm me,” Schoop said.

You can always hear them but you may not always see them until the itching begins.

“They’re blood vectors, I mean the fact that they are coming after you, not just as a nuisance but as a disease carrier, and when they bite people and feed on people it is a real health concern,” Schoop said.

Although Texas has been known to have cases of West Nile just about every year, along with other diseases to pets, General Environmental Administrator Samantha Blair wants people to know they don’t have to worry too much.

“In general, they’re not going to carry the common cold, COVID, the flu, or anything like that, it takes a lot of specialization on the part of the virus in order to make it all the way through the mosquito,” Blair said.

The weather may be playing a huge factor in mosquitoes sticking around a little longer this year.

“One really good rain day, if it takes four-ish days for that puddle to completely dry up, then we now have adult mosquitoes and those mosquitoes can last weeks to months,” Blair said.

But don’t worry, you don’t have to hide out in your home, there are a few quick fixes that may help you out.

“Keep the yard cut, keep debris off the property, things like this, any standing water at all, get rid of it, or use a larvicide,” Shoop said.

While the city does spray for mosquitoes, Blair recommends consulting a pest control expert, like Shoop and Schoop’s Texas Termites.

“I just cannot recommend enough, no matter, even if you don’t get your yard treated, use some type of deet product, I know some people are afraid of deet, but the CDC recommends deet all the way up to 6 months old,” Shoop said.

There’s no shortage of ways to battle these pesky bloodsuckers and you may want to get some relief sooner rather than later.

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