Mosquitos? (Phoenix, Page, Maricopa: home, purchasing, earthquakes)

[azriverfan.]

Mosquitoes are not a problem in the Phoenix area. Everyone has commented about the lack of humidity as being a problem for mosquitoes but it's also the high heat. Our summers are brutal but one nice thing about it is we don't have flying insects like wasps, bees and mosquitoes. Of course, there are exceptions such ponds on golf courses or unkept swimming pools but how often are you going to face that? And even if you golf, I doubt you are going to spend much time near the actual water iteself. Walking by a pond isn't going to really put you in jeopardy.

The problem with some of the responses above is that they are written to be accurate but not relative. Obviously, mosiquitoes are everywhere but when people ask questions like this, they are asking about it relatively speaking. I doubt someone is going to spend an extensive amount of time in an abandoned house with stagnant water. I doubt someone is going to take a sleeping bag and camp out near a golf course pond at dawn and dusk. Bummer provided a good response and Zony's sarcasm should give you a good idea of the threat of mosquitoes in the desert.

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

Mosquitoes are not a problem in the Phoenix area. Everyone has commented about the lack of humidity as being a problem for mosquitoes but it's also the high heat. Our summers are brutal but one nice thing about it is we don't have flying insects like wasps, bees and mosquitoes. Of course, there are exceptions such ponds on golf courses or unkept swimming pools but how often are you going to face that? And even if you golf, I doubt you are going to spend much time near the actual water iteself. Walking by a pond isn't going to really put you in jeopardy.

The problem with some of the responses above is that they are written to be accurate but not relative. Obviously, mosiquitoes are everywhere but when people ask questions like this, they are asking about it relatively speaking. I doubt someone is going to spend an extensive amount of time in an abandoned house with stagnant water. I doubt someone is going to take a sleeping bag and camp out near a golf course pond at dawn and dusk. Bummer provided a good response and Zony's sarcasm should give you a good idea of the threat of mosquitoes in the desert.

There are plenty of bees (killer), wasps, and flying cockroaches around here. As for skeeters, they may be few, but they are deadly. AZ has among the highest number of cases of west Nile in the country in spite of the relatively few mosquitoes.

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by stacylee926

Coming to Las Vegas and touring Phoenix, GC, and Zion in a few weeks and I was wondering if I needed to pack bug spray? I really doubt mosquito's are a problem in the desert, but thought this East coaster should double check!

Thanks

Coming from Virginia, you will find mozzies to be essentially non-existant by your standards.

Ken

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by LordBalfor

Coming from Virginia, you will find mozzies to be essentially non-existant by your standards.

Ken

AMEN to that, Ken.

Having grown up in Virginia, I am amazed when The Locals ***** about Arizona's mosquito problem. Also, have you ever experienced those Whopper Mosquitos about the size of Small Cats in the Upper Midwest?

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

There are plenty of bees (killer), wasps, and flying cockroaches around here. As for skeeters, they may be few, but they are deadly. AZ has among the highest number of cases of west Nile in the country in spite of the relatively few mosquitoes.

The incidence of West Nile virus has no direct correlation with the mosquito population or the number of mosquitoes. Cold and dry weather states like Idaho, Montana and North Dakota had higher incidence than we did in 2007 whereas Florida has few cases. In addition to being a cardiologist, I'm very active in the research and medical education community here and we studied West Nile and I can assure you that your "deadly" comment is not accurate. It was purely chance. The number of West Nile cases has decreased in Arizona despite the increase in population.

No there are not "plenty" of bees, wasps and cockroaches becaus our environment (high heat and low humidity) doesn't provide for favorable conditions for these insects so your statement doesn't make sense from a biological perspective regardless of what your personal experience may be.

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by Bummer

AMEN to that, Ken.

Having grown up in Virginia, I am amazed when The Locals ***** about Arizona's mosquito problem. Also, have you ever experienced those Whopper Mosquitos about the size of Small Cats in the Upper Midwest?

Oh yeah, I've lived in both Michigan and North Dakota and both had FAR more mozzies than folks in Arizona can even IMAGINE. I remember in ND that the shaded (north) side of the houses were literally solid black with mozzies during the heat of the day as they waited for evening to arrive - and I mean that: solid black from the ground up to the roof overhang and from one end of each house to the other was a completely solid mass of resting mozzies so crammed in that you couldn't tell the color of the house beneath them.

There was no doubt more mozzies on one single house than folks in Arizona would be likely to see in their ENTIRE LIVES.

Ken

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by LordBalfor

Oh yeah, I've lived in both Michigan and North Dakota and both had FAR more mozzies than folks in Arizona can even IMAGINE. I remember in ND that the shaded (north) side of the houses were literally solid black with mozzies during the heat of the day as they waited for evening to arrive - and I mean that: solid black from the ground up to the roof overhang and from one each house to the other was a completely solid mass of resting mozzies so crammed in that you couldn't tell the color of the house beneath them.

There was no doubt more mozzies on one single house than folks in Arizona would be likely to see in their ENTIRE LIVES.

Ken

Arizona has it's problems but mosquitoes and flying insects are not one of them because the heat and lack of moisture doesn't ensure their survival. Unfortunately, some people enjoy finding anything wrong with the state. If you asked someone if people need flood insurance in Arizona, I'm sure one or two posters will swear that floods are a threat in Phoenix and that they should purchase it. Nothing suprises me when it comes to this forum. Insanity is the rule rather than the exception here.

[Finger Laker]

actually phoenix does have some flood zones ..... not many are built on though ........ we've even had to enact a stupid motorist law to shift the expense when stupid people drive into flooded roads and get stuck.........

one of the last things I did before moving from MN was help a buddy put in a fence - this was in july - i put on a good bath full of bug spray - even then the relentless jerks tried to get at me through my basketball shorts ......... i literally had a hundred mosquitos entwined and trapped in the mesh ...... disgusting

i also do not miss breathing in gnats every night

the one thing I do have a pretty serious issue with recently are flies ....... this is 3 years in a row now where my backyard is completely overtaken by the things - i can't fight them back - fly papers turn black in half a day ...... others I know do not have this issue, but I am blessed apparently

we also had a good amount of yellow jackets for the first time ..... thankfully it looks like they have now moved on

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by Finger Laker

actually phoenix does have some flood zones ..... not many are built on though ........

I know we have flood zones but like you said, there are not many here and relative to areas with in which floods pose a real risk, Phoenix has little to none. Did you know we have earthquakes here on occasion as well? If someone asks "Does Phoenix have earthquakes?" I think we understand what they are getting at. They are asking if we have earthquakes relative to areas with a high incidence of them because they want to know if they should be concerned about them here. The same applies to floods and mosquitoes. I'm not saying that we don't have them, however, relative to other areas with a high incidence of floods or mosquitoes, Phoenix doesn't have a high incidence of them and hence no one should be worried about them here. If someone wants to be argumentative they can. I can post a statement saying there is no snow in Phoenix and someone can respond by saying that in north Phoenix one year they had snow flurries in the winter. Like I said, insanity is the norm on this forum.

[LordBalfor]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

I know we have flood zones but like you said, there are not many here and relative to areas with in which floods pose a real risk, Phoenix has little to none. Did you know we have earthquakes here on occasion as well? If someone asks "Does Phoenix have earthquakes?" I think we understand what they are getting at. They are asking if we have earthquakes relative to areas with a high incidence of them because they want to know if they should be concerned about them here. The same applies to floods and mosquitoes. I'm not saying that we don't have them, however, relative to other areas with a high incidence of floods or mosquitoes, Phoenix doesn't have a high incidence of them and hence no one should be worried about them here. If someone wants to be argumentative they can. I can post a statement saying there is no snow in Phoenix and someone can respond by saying that in north Phoenix one year they had snow flurries in the winter. Like I said, insanity is the norm on this forum.

LOL

Yeah the fact is, you'd be hard pressed to find any state in the US that had less of a mozzie problem than Arizona.

Ken