Mosquitoes in Fairfax county (Arlington: house, prices, eat)

[newgatedenizen]

I have lived in Fairfax County for over 20 years. I am an avid hiker and am always outdoors. First I have heard of this mosquito problem.

Sure there are times and places where you can get bit up pretty good. But in my experience it almost always can be correlated to standing water nearby (whether a ditch, culvert etc. that has a drainage issue).

I don't recall ever having been bit inside a building or house.

[clothgiraffe]

I do think the mosquitoes here are pretty awful. I'm like someone else who posted; I get many bites extremely quickly. Not everyone seems as 'attractive' to them as I do. But I do think they are really bad! Oh, my poor, poor kids. Must have inherited that from me. Thankfully they don't seem as bothered but they're bitten up just as much. I honestly think my kids are young enough it doesn't distract them enough to bother them yet, if that makes sense. A friend who lives in western Loudoun was telling me we have a different type of mosquito that lives here - "asian tiger mosquito" maybe? And she reacts more badly to them than to the more "traditional" ones. We're in a townhouse development and so you can't really control the standing water in your neighbors' trash can lids, for example. I think they can lay eggs in a drop of water or something. Then we've got a neighbor with a stagnant water bird bath/feeder. Maybe that's part of the problem. But, yes, while I've only lived in NoVA, I do think we have really bad mosquitoes!

[HarryLou]

Originally Posted by vishnu111

I'm seriously considering not relocating to Fairfax county because I heard there is mosquito problem from May to Nov. That's a long time..

Seriously? Yes, you are over-reacting...
Mosquitos! We have hot humid summers...just sayin'...
But I don't see them in the autumn, Oct/Nov...
I use "Dunks" anyplace outside that might collect standing water.
Every once in a while a mosquito will get inside...especially since my dog learned to open the door.
Well, really!...don't know what to tell you.

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by vishnu111

I'm seriously considering not relocating to Fairfax county because I heard there is mosquito problem from May to Nov. That's a long time..
When I found this out, I was just completely depressed. I was ready
to sell me house here in Ca and move over there.
It is a good job opportunity in Fairfax too.

Am I exaggerating or overreacting?

I have a 6 year old and I don't want him to suffer.

We don't do much outdoor activities except going to the park to play.

I plan on moving to Reston or somewhere near Arlington.

I have no other issue with the east coast:
Love the snow (bring it on),
Tiny houses built in the turn of the century (I can deal with this),
Checking for Radon all the time (I guess I can deal with this too)...

But I can't deal with bugs, bug bites, etc.
Do the mosquitoes come in the house so they could bite at night
(this is like India)?

I've been to India.

Mosquitos in India have the possibility of carrying some serious diseases. Plus, no matter where you live, it seems houses are almost never air-tight.

In the U.S., especially on the East Coast, insulation is very important for winters. So, generally speaking, houses are quite insulated against random mosquitos and bugs as well by default. They are insulated for winter reasons though, but applies in the summer as well. They might get in, but not like India where they are just always in there somehow.

For example, you'll never need a mosquito net anywhere in the U.S. inside of a person's house - unless that house is in need of serious repair. But, even than, it's not something people would ever do. It's just not that big of a concern.

You get the mosquitos when you are out in the woods or outside on the late summer evenings. But people just spray some mosquito spray.

In short, it's just completely completely different from India altogether. Definitely mosquitos around, but almost none of the many concerns you have about them with India.

[Caladium]

If this helps, I'd say the number of mosquitoes you're likely to encounter here is less than the number of ants you encounter in California. When I lived in California, we had massive ant infestations. Our condo building had to be tented (although to be fair that was more because of a problem with termites and silver fish, it wasn't just for the ants). Would it make sense to turn down a good job offer in California because there are insects there? Then why would you turn down a job offer here for a reason like that?

Mosquitoes are annoying, but as another poster pointed out it's not like you need netting around your bed or anything like that. They're really not that big a deal. Just like ants aren't.

[CaliTerp07]

Well, but the ants around where I lived in California don't seek you out and bite you--they just eat your food if you drop it on the sidewalk. I wouldn't mind mosquitoes nearly so much if they weren't trying to eat me.

I've never heard of tenting for ants--ugh, that sounds like a nightmare. We tented for termites growing up, but never had any other bug issues in the house.

[South Jersey Styx]

Originally Posted by vishnu111

I'm seriously considering not relocating to Fairfax county because I heard there is mosquito problem from May to Nov.

Am I exaggerating or overreacting?

Yes.

NoVA does not have a major mosquito problem IMO. Of course, it differs each season but overall, it shouldn't be a deterrent to not move here.

Mosquitoes are found in heavily-wooded area, water sources with lots of standing water (i.e., swamps, creeks, etc.). So logically, places with lakes and rivers would have more than those that do not. Moving to Reston isn't much better than Fairfax, esp since there are lakes nearby and the Potomac River.

I am one of those types that mosquitoes love also. I have been bitten in the most ridiculous areas such as an ear lobe and forehead . When they are bad, I just wear loose, long-sleeved shirts, long pants, socks, and repellent.

I am originally from NJ and last yr, the mosquitoes were deadly. There are plenty of swamps, creeks, and watersheds and our house up there is near a lake. The mosquitoes up there seem to tell all their buddies when you leave the house and attack. Furthermore, they were these really tiny ones (I couldn't see them) so it was like getting bit up by invisible bugs. There are also these green, fly-like bugs in the southernmost tip of NJ that bite really hard. I'm glad NoVA doesn't have these kinds of bugs.

[Lucky★]

Originally Posted by South Jersey Styx

Yes.

NoVA does not have a major mosquito problem IMO. Of course, it differs each season but overall, it shouldn't be a deterrent to not move here.

Mosquitoes are found in heavily-wooded area, water sources with lots of standing water (i.e., swamps, creeks, etc.). So logically, places with lakes and rivers would have more than those that do not. Moving to Reston isn't much better than Fairfax, esp since there are lakes nearby and the Potomac River.
...

The asian tiger mosquitoes breed in containers-

CDC - Mosquito Main aquatic habitats - Dengue

Invasive Species: Animals - Asian Tiger Mosquito (Aedes albopictus)

They only bite me when I’m gardening or sitting outside, no problems when walking. Before gardening, I spray Off on my clothes and use lemon eucalyptus on exposed skin.

Not just Fairfax, though. Had to wait outside the Foggy Bottom metro station last summer and was eaten alive by the asian tigers.

[Carlingtonian]

Has anyone else noticed that mosquitos largely ignore white people but go aggressively after everyone else? My wife (who's of Asian extraction) gets swarmed, while they pretty much ignore me, unless I'm the only person around--e.g., while hiking. (But then I have to worry about sunburn, so it all evens out.) We've met other people with the same experience. It makes sense that the mosquitos might have evolved to detect humans based on whatever the pheromone or chemical makeup is of the humans who originated where the skeeters originated--the equatorial regions. I.e., mosquitos who had a nose for Germans or Irish probably starved to death real quick.

Maybe I could make some money with a mosquito repellent containing beer, fried potatoes, and butter. Hmm...

[kutra11]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

Has anyone else noticed that mosquitos largely ignore white people but go aggressively after everyone else? My wife (who's of Asian extraction) gets swarmed, while they pretty much ignore me, unless I'm the only person around--e.g., while hiking. (But then I have to worry about sunburn, so it all evens out.) We've met other people with the same experience. It makes sense that the mosquitos might have evolved to detect humans based on whatever the pheromone or chemical makeup is of the humans who originated where the skeeters originated--the equatorial regions. I.e., mosquitos who had a nose for Germans or Irish probably starved to death real quick.

Maybe I could make some money with a mosquito repellent containing beer, fried potatoes, and butter. Hmm...

Funny, that you mention this. When my wife and I go to India, the mosquitoes feast on my American-born son, but leave me and my wife alone! I just think mosquitoes have a highly-evolved gastronomic system where they see new food and go, "Hmmm... I feel like eating American today!"