What city tops the list for mosquitoes?

Dr. Jennifer Breaux of the NOLA Mosquito Control Board joined FOX Weather Sky Dome to discuss West Nile Virus and mosquitoes.

As America heads outdoors, hungry for picnics and barbecues after a long winter, something else is hungry, too – mosquitos. The bloodsuckers thrive in the heat and after summer showers.

Orkin put together their list of the 50 top mosquito cities based on the number of mosquito control treatments. Los Angeles tops the list for the third year in a row. Chicago and New York held the No. 2 and 3 spots for another year.

Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, Phoenix, Milwaukee and Memphis all jumped five to 15 spots on the list of worst mosquito cities. San Francisco, West Palm Beach, Cincinnati and St. Louis all fell between eight and 15 slots.

New to the list is Oklahoma City, which placed a strong 28 for a first-timer. Austin, Spokane, Bakersfield and Fresno also placed for the first time and rounded out the top 50.

THREATS FROM TICKS, FLEAS AND MOSQUITOS ON THE RISE AFTER HISTORIC RAINFALL, CALIFORNIA OFFICIALS WARN

(Centers for Disease Control / FOX Weather)

Swatting at the bloodsuckers and the relentless itching afterward are just minor irritants compared to what mosquitos carry. One mosquito bite can infect a person or pet with deadly diseases like malaria, dengue fever, West Nile Virus, encephalitis and Zika.

Worldwide almost 250 million people were infected by malaria, and 619,000 died, according to the World Health Organization.

In the U.S., West Nile Virus is a bigger concern. In 2021, 2,445 Americans were sickened by the virus, and 165 of them died, according to the CDC.

About one in five people infected with West Nile virus develop a fever along with other symptoms like headache, body aches, joint pain, vomiting, diarrhea and a rash, according to the CDC. Fatigue and weakness can last weeks to months, and no medicine attacks the virus.

MALARIA FEARS RISE AS WARMING CLIMATE EXTENDS RANGE OF DISEASE-CARRYING MOSQUITOES, STUDY FINDS

(Centers for Disease Control / FOX Weather)

The CDC states that about 1 in 150 people develop a severe illness of the central nervous system, like encephalitis or meningitis, spread by mosquitos. About 10% of those patients die.

Mosquito-borne illnesses are just as deadly to pets. Heartworm disease is the main mosquito-borne issue, according to Erik Olstad, Assistant Professor at the University of California, Davis’ Veterinary Medicine Teaching Hospital. The American Heartworm Society estimated that about 28% of dogs and 4% of cats suffer from heartworm annually.

"They will tend to accumulate in the chambers of the heart, and that pump no longer works effectively anymore," Olstad said. "And so this worm can not only cause heart failure but as the worms die, it can cause kind of an anaphylactic shock, reaction and thromboembolism and really horrible thing."

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File: A vet taking blood to check for heartworm.

(Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post / Getty Images)

The CDC advises homeowners to empty and scrub anything in the yard with standing water. Even puddles in holes in trees can breed mosquitos. For larger bodies of water not used for drinking, they recommend larvicides.

The EPA has a list of registered insect repellents for the skin that are safe and effective. Approved products carry an EPA symbol indicating how many hours the repellents work against ticks and mosquitos.

MOSQUITOES ARE A MAJOR PROBLEM AFTER A FLOOD

EPA approved repellants can carry this graphic to indicate how many hours the product repels ticks and mosquitos if applied correctly.

(EPA / FOX Weather)