Ames, Iowa — A couple of cities in Iowa have found West Nile infected mosquitoes in their monitoring traps.
Iowa State University entomologist, Ryan Smith, says August and September are generally the peak months for the disease.
Ames and Des Moines announced they have found mosquitoes with West Nile. Smith does surveillance in seven counties and has found West Nile in three of them. He says mosquito populations are influenced by rainfall, and the drought that has expanded in the state has made an impact.
Smith says all the other things happening can sometimes overshadow West Nile.
Smith says it’s a reminder to take precautions against getting bitten if you are outdoors and mosquitoes are present. He says there isn’t anything else on the radar right now when it comes to mosquitoes.
Smith says you should still take precautions by wearing insect repellant, and dumping out any standing water where mosquitoes might breed.
