Fewer mosquitoes and wasps in the Netherlands this summer due to hot and dry June

The disturbance from mosquitoes and wasps in the Netherlands is lower this summer than in previous years. Medical entomologist and mosquito specialist Bart Knols attributed this decrease to the hot and dry weather in June and a broader reduction in insect populations.

Knols pointed out that biodiversity has declined significantly over the last decade. "Wasps, for example, prey on other insects. If there are none or very few, the wasps cannot survive either. It's a cascading effect," he explained.

Mosquitoes prefer laying eggs in damp breeding grounds, such as flower pots with a layer of water or in wet soil. However, June was hot and dry, so mosquitoes hardly found water-filled receptacles. Mosquito larvae also thrive best at high humidity, which was not the case in late spring, Knols pointed out. "As a result, far fewer mosquitoes have reached maturity," he noted.

Mosquitoes are still laying eggs, but it often rains so hard that the brood is immediately washed away. According to biologist Arnold van Vliet from Muggenradar.nl, it is known that mosquitoes become more active as the temperature rises. As long as it remains fairly cool, people will thus experience less nuisance from mosquitoes.

"But it's not really good news that there are fewer mosquitoes, wasps, flies, and other flying insects that bother people," Knols argued. "Pesticides used in agriculture have a dramatic effect on insects. And insects are essential for pollinating crops. If the number of insects continues to decrease because sufficient protective measures are not taken, there might be very little mosquito nuisance in the future, but also no more fruit in the orchards."