Last week's warm weather brought both people and insects from their homes. However, the evening dusk was spoiled for many.

"The air was thick with mosquitoes and it was almost unbearable to be outside," complained a resident of Viimsi who went to tidy up their summer house in Lahemaa. "Mosquitoes nearly ate from the palm of my hand," said a Tartu resident who went to the "Kissing Tartu" concert on Saturday. "I'm not a mosquito-hating person in general, but the last two evenings have been crazy," said a Tallinn native who visited the island of Hiiumaa at the weekend.

Entomologist and nature photographer Urmas Tartes noticed the wave of mosquitoes in Pärnu County over the weekend. "There was no escaping the mosquitoes. I photographed them there for several hours," he said.

Forest mosquitoes traditionally make up the majority of spring mosquitoes. Other, less abundant species are more difficult to distinguish with the naked eye.

Tartes said the general trend shows mosquitoes are faring worse against the backdrop of drier springs. "In recent years, it's been a bit of a race for them. The mosquitoes that come out en masse now develop in spring meltwater and high water puddles. Sometimes they even lay their eggs on the ground in anticipation of the meltwater in autumn. When there is high water and a lot of snow in winter, the mosquitoes usually do well. When the foliage starts to dry out, it's also bad for mosquitoes," he explained.

Mosquitoes have done relatively well this spring thanks to the April snow. The additional meltwater kept several habitats for mosquito larvae sufficiently moist.

At the same time, the first half of April was warmer than expected, which awoke the insect kingdom earlier than usual.

"While the following weather may have been unpleasantly dry for humans, it only slowed down the development of mosquitoes slightly. I have noticed that such variable weather is accompanied by a harmonization of phenology. In northern Estonia, insects can develop, while in southern Estonia, this cool period slows down the development of mosquitoes. So it seems as if all the mosquitoes are coming out at once all over Estonia," Tartes added. The same phenomenon can be observed with butterflies, for example.

Covering bodies of water can help reduce the number of mosquitos and the majority never move beyond their birthplace. "Of course, if a neighbor has made a nice mosquito-friendly home, there's nothing you can do and you have to go and talk to them," said the entomologist.

However, if your home is on the edge of a forest, you just have to learn to live with the bugs. The bloodsuckers are naturally repelled from windier areas, but people also do not want to live in these places.

Mosquitos also do not like heatwaves. "In the heat, no animal really wants to be active, whether it's a constant or variable temperature," Tartes added.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!