Signs of spring are popping everywhere, whether it's the last remnant of snow in the corner of the yard, or perhaps your tulip buds are emerging.
It's also that time of year when the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District starts to get a handle on another Minnesota institution: mosquitoes.
"Our field staff just started our work this week, and right away we're finding quite a bit of breeding areas where there's standing water that's holding mosquito larvae," says Metropolitan Mosquito Control District's Alex Carlson. "So those are our first targets."
Carlson says crews have already started spraying more than 84,000 acres by helicopter and drone.
"But it's not harmful to humans or pets or other animals, and it's safe for beneficial pollinators like bees and butterflies," Carlson adds. "It's really a specific formulation that impacts those mosquito larvae and knocks down those populations as much as we can, with minimal impacts to everything else."
Officials say dry and drought-like conditions left over from last year should keep mosquito numbers relatively low this spring - but that won't last.
Expect a spike around the 4th of July and expect a version of mosquito that is a very aggressive - and large - biter, the cattail mosquito.
2024 was an unusual year for mosquitoes. The Twin Cities saw above average rain throughout May, June, and July, but high mosquito numbers did not follow, likely due to drought the previous couple of summer. After a year of rain, many of those will bounce back in 2025 - and if we see similar rainfall totals as 2024, some may return in big numbers.