Wisconsin

Warming summers bring more mosquitoes, greater risk of disease to Wisconsin

Published

1 year ago

August 9, 2024

Warming summers bring more mosquitoes, greater risk of disease to Wisconsin

Have mosquitoes felt extra annoying this year in Wisconsin?

If so, that’s because they’re likely more prevalent than in previous years. Warm weather plus lots of rain create ideal conditions for mosquito populations.

All major regions of the state are seeing above-average precipitation this year, according to the State Climatology Office.

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But it can be challenging to gauge exactly how bad mosquitoes are in Wisconsin because the state lacks any major agency dedicated to the control and monitoring of the buzzing insects.

Daniel Huff is executive director of the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District in Minnesota. Huff’s district covers seven counties around the Twin Cities and a majority of the neighboring state’s population. Huff recently told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today” that bad mosquito years are only going to become more common as the climate changes.

“I think mosquito-borne diseases are the biggest risk to us with climate change,” he said, referring to Dengue fever, Zika, malaria and other illnesses. “We are concerned that those diseases will migrate (north).”

Earlier this month, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services reported the first confirmed cases of West Nile virus for the year.

Huff said there are three main kinds of mosquitoes in the Upper Midwest: snow-melt mosquitoes that come in the early spring; summer mosquitoes that arrive around May or June and breed all year long; and cattail mosquitoes, which arrive around Independence Day and are the most “aggressive” breed in the region.

“What a great time for our July Fourth picnics,” Huff said. “And they actually live over winter.”

On WPR’s “Wisconsin Today,” Huff talked about the risks of mosquito-borne disease due to climate change, the prevalence of mosquitoes this year and the work of his agency at controlling and monitoring the insects.

The following was edited for brevity and clarity.

RF: We’re seeing earlier thaws and later frosts with climate change. Is that extending the breeding season for any mosquito varieties?

DH: Absolutely. We’re getting mosquito species that we don’t normally get up here in the Upper Midwest. One of the beautiful side effects of our harsh winters is they kill off a lot of the mosquitoes that you might have down south. But as the winter changes, we risk having mosquitoes move up here and stay, being able to survive our winters now.

When you have a shorter winter and a longer warm spell, you’re going to have more mosquitoes. Mosquitoes need two things to reproduce: they need water and they need warm temperatures. The longer the summer, the more mosquitoes we’re going to have.

RF: Most of us think of mosquitoes as a nuisance. We don’t want to get bit. We don’t want the itches. You’re worried about public health here. What are some of the concerns we have about mosquito season when it comes to communicable diseases?

DH: The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District is at its heart a public health agency. We like to make people’s summers better and more enjoyable. But our primary function is to prevent the spread of diseases that are caused by mosquitoes. You may have seen the statistic that mosquitoes are the most dangerous animal in the world. They kill more humans than any other animal in the world, including other humans. And it’s because they carry disease.

RF: Here in Wisconsin, we do mosquito research through the Universities of Wisconsin, the Department of Health Services and so on. But we don’t have a Metropolitan Mosquito Control District. Tell us a little about this outfit.

DH: The Minnesota Legislature in 1958 set forth that we were going to have a seven-county, independent unit of government whose sole purpose was to track and control mosquitoes. We’re very fortunate to have that. It covers about 3,000 miles. That’s about the size of two Rhode Islands. And by focusing on such a large area, we’re able to control and suppress mosquitoes in the whole region. Mosquitoes can fly about 5 miles. Treating a little area doesn’t mean that you’re protecting the people who live in that little area.

RF: Are there things people can do in their yards to help with mosquitoes?

DH: First of all, get rid of your breeding habitats, your old tarp or little bucket. I’ve seen a picture of mosquito larvae in a Coca-Cola bottlecap. They don’t need a lot of water to grow. Eliminate those sources of water.

And do what you can to promote other beneficial insects and vertebrates, like birds and bats. While they’re not major consumers of mosquitoes, they will consume them. It’s really about reducing the habitat, reducing those little puddles of water that might collect in your yard.

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Wisconsin

What time, TV channel is Johns Hopkins vs Wisconsin-River Falls game on today? Live stream, preview

Published

8 hours ago

December 20, 2025

Press Room

What time, TV channel is Johns Hopkins vs Wisconsin-River Falls game on today? Live stream, preview

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The Division III Championship Semifinals feature the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays (12-1) facing off with the Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons (12-1) as they look for a chance to play for a title. Kickoff takes place on Saturday, December 20, at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET (11 a.m. MST) with a live TV broadcast only with ESPN Plus.

• You can watch Johns Hopkins vs. Wisconsin-River Falls football streaming live on ESPN+ (now called ESPN Select) today.

Is Johns Hopkins vs. Wisconsin-River Falls on TV today, or streaming only?

When: Saturday, December 20, at 10 a.m. PT/1 p.m. ET (11 a.m. MST).

Where: David Smith Stadium at Ramer Field | River Falls, WI

TV channel: This game is not available on traditional broadcast TV, and is only streaming on ESPN’s live sports streaming platforms available on the ESPN App with one of the “ESPN Select” or “ESPN Unlimited” subscription plans. (This is the streaming service formerly known as ESPN Plus. Here’s a look at the breakdown of ESPN streaming plans, what they cost and include.)

Where to watch streaming live on TV, or online: You can watch a live stream of this game for less than $12 on ESPN Select (It’s just $11.99/month or $119.99/full year subscription, and you can cancel anytime. Just choose the “ESPN Select” plan in the drop down to sign up for the cheapest version of the service.).

The best deal: If you sign up for ESPN Unlimited ($29.99/month), you will get all of the ESPN networks and services, including ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ESPNEWS, ESPN Deportes, SEC Network, ACC Network, ESPN+, ESPN on ABC, SEC Network+, ACC Network Now and ESPN3.
Get promo codes, signup deals, and free bets from our Oregon Betting News home page.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association, wildlife advocates react to delisting of the gray wolf

Published

20 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association, wildlife advocates react to delisting of the gray wolf

GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) – The Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association is speaking out about the U.S. House passing the “Pet and Livestock Protection Act”.

“I’ll be honest, our cattlemen are pretty fed up. I mean, they have been dealing with this issue for a long time, so. I mean just really felt like we are finally making progress here. And that’s really exciting that we can help our producers deal with this issue,” says Brady Zuck, a cow-calf producer and the past president of the Wisconsin Cattlemen’s Association.

Brady Zuck, one of many livestock producers in Wisconsin, is responding to the U.S. House passing a bill to delist the gray wolf from the “Endangered Species Act”.

The population of gray wolves is increasing, and according to the Wisconsin DNR, from April 2024 to April 2025, there were 70 verified wolf conflicts with livestock.

“That’s what’s been the most frustrating, is that we have producers locally here in northwest Wisconsin or your area by Green Bay that are dealing with this issue, and it’s all controlled in Washington, and we have people in our state that could make those management decisions, but their hands are tied,” says Zuck.

Supporters of the bill say non-lethal methods used to keep gray wolves away, such as strobe lights and music, are only short-term solutions.

“We’re asking, saying hey, if we’re having problems with wolves on farms, we need ways to effectively deal with that, that work,” says Zuck.

The Great Lakes Wildlife Alliance shared a statement from Thursday about the delisting, saying: “We are disgusted by this reckless abandonment of science-based wildlife management. However, our advocates showed up in extraordinary numbers against overwhelming odds, and their voices were heard. This organization and our supporters are not defeated.”

“As cattlemen, we never said we want to eliminate all wolves, we don’t want any wolves, we never said that. But we just need to make sure we have the tools in place that we can, you know, if we have wolves killing calves, we need a way to deal with it, right?” Zuck says.

The bill still has to pass the Senate and reach the president’s desk before changes are made.

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Wisconsin

Watch Live: Demolition of bridge between Iowa, Wisconsin

Published

1 day ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

Watch Live: Demolition of bridge between Iowa, Wisconsin

LANSING, Iowa (KCRG) – The Black Hawk Bridge, connecting Iowa and Wisconsin over the Mississippi River will come down Friday morning.

The Iowa DOT and Wisconsin DOT are partnering on the demolition, which is set for 9:30 am on Friday. You can watch the demolition live in this article when it happens.

The bridge has been closed since October with plans to construct a new bridge, planned to open in 2027.

The Iowa DOT laid out safety plans for the demolition:

A zone around the bridge will be blocked off to protect people from debris.
The Lansing Ferry service will not run from 6:00 p.m. on December 18 to the morning of December 22.
Highway 26 will be closed from around 8:45 a.m. on December 19 and reopen around 30 minutes after the implosion. Detour signs will be posted.
The demolition zone will be closed to recreational boat traffic on December 18 and expected to reopen during the night of December 19.
No trains will run through Lansing for four hours on the morning of December 19.

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