Stings during the day too

High water causes mosquito plague in Vienna

An increasing number of mosquitoes are currently making themselves felt in Vienna. According to mosquito expert Bernhard Seidel, the reason for this is that two weeks after the floods in Lower Austria, the entire stored brood of flood mosquitoes hatched at once. Compared to the hordes after the catastrophic floods in the noughties, however, the emergence is "harmless". In three weeks' time, the spook should be over again.

Floodwater gudgeons usually occur in clusters: they lay their eggs in the mud of the floodplain, and these can - as has now happened - survive for years if it dries out. If the floodplain is flooded again, the larvae from several years hatch at the same time and there are a lot of mosquitoes, which can also appear in large swarms. In Austria, Vienna is particularly affected, as they are driven into the capital by the westerly wind.

Flood mosquitoes also bite during the day
According to Seidel, the population is particularly aware of the plague because there has not been a large number of mosquitoes in the past two years. What's more, unlike normal mosquitoes, the flood mosquito also bites during the day.

Mosquito forecasts are rather difficult 
Overall, Vienna is experiencing "a normal year for mosquitoes", Hans Peter Führer, parasitologist at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, also told ORF. "The last two years were very weak mosquito years, which is why we may be particularly affected this year." According to Führer, it is not possible to make predictions about the course of the mosquito season, as the development of the mosquito population is heavily dependent on the weather.

According to Seidel, the Viennese should soon be rid of their uninvited guests. "If the weather stays nice, then the flood gnats will be history in three weeks," said Seidel. But then other mosquitoes could be up to mischief.