Big freeze won’t impact mosquitoes, ticks, expert says

STILLWATER, Okla. —  We have some bad news if you hope Oklahoma’s big freeze will impact bugs.

An expert at Oklahoma State University said it likely won’t have much of an effect on mosquitoes and ticks this year. Bruce Noden told KOCO 5 that adult mosquitoes typically don’t survive Oklahoma’s winters, but the eggs do.

“Maybe some of those mosquitoes are going to survive in the sewer,” Noden said. “I don’t think we’re going to see too much difference in mosquito numbers this year.”

Noden thinks we’ll see just as many mosquitoes as years past, but it may take a few weeks longer for the insects to come out in full force.

“By the time we get to July and August, you’re not going to see any difference in your backyard,” Noden said.

As for ticks, they can survive the below-freezing temperatures for a couple of weeks. They would need a cold snap longer than what we saw before it impacts them.

Noden added that if we get a lot of rain this spring, it would wipe out the two-to-three-week delay he’s expecting.