Mosquito Populations Explode Exponentially - Climate Change Not to Blame?

Laboratory Equipment Magazine reported today that, although the past half century has seen an explosive growth in the mosquito population, growing it to 10 times the number we tolerated in the 1960s, the overpopulation does not seem to be mainly the result of climate change, at least in America's coastal population centers.

The cause? According to the journal Nature Communications, its a reduction in effective pest control, specifically lower use of chemicals like DDT.

The journal interviewed Marm Kilpatrick, corresponding author, from University of California – Santa Cruz. “At first glance, recent increases in mosquito populations appear to be linked to rising temperatures from climate change," they report. "But careful analyses of data over the past century show that it’s actually recovery from the effects of DDT.”

More from the Laboratory Equipment article:

DDT was a pesticide that became a standard treatment for bedbugs, mosquitoes and other vermin in the post–World War II era. Over a billion pounds were used in the U.S. for nearly four decades, before its harmful effects on the environment were discovered. The chemical was banned in 1972.

The team – including researchers from Rutgers University and the Suffolk County Vector Control on Long Island – looked at three long-term data sets of mosquito numbers.

Read the entire original article...