Recent rain could bring increase in mosquitoes across Cape Fear

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) — After a relatively quiet summer for mosquitoes, recent rainfall across the Cape Fear could soon lead to an increase in activity.

Wilmington recorded nearly 14 inches of rain in August, leaving behind more of the standing water mosquitoes need to breed.

“Mosquitoes in particular, they only need about a bottle cap of water to complete their life cycle,” said Michael Bentley, vice president of the National Pest Management Association.

Bentley said recent rainfall can create breeding areas in places homeowners may not immediately notice, including backed-up gutters, clogged drains, drainage ditches, flowerpots and small pools of water around the yard.

Warm and humid conditions can also speed up mosquito development.

“It’s warm, it’s humid outside, so in as little as a week, mosquitoes can go from egg to blood-feeding adult,” Bentley said.

The Cape Fear region is home to more than 40 species of mosquitoes, and weather conditions play a major role in where mosquitoes are found and how active populations become.

New Hanover County Mosquito Control uses several methods to reduce mosquito populations, including public education, larvicides that target larvae and breeding areas, and spraying when needed.

The county is divided into 29 mosquito spray zones. Residents can also sign up to receive a text message or phone call when spraying is planned in their area.

But an increase in mosquitoes can mean more than itchy bites.

Bentley said some mosquitoes can transmit diseases, including West Nile virus.

“An infected mosquito that is infected with West Nile virus feeds on a human, it has the potential to transmit that disease,” Bentley said.

Mosquitoes can also carry other illnesses, including Zika virus. Bentley said late summer is a time when mosquito-borne disease transmission can begin to increase.

Mosquitoes may not be the only pest concern as summer transitions into fall.

The National Pest Management Association’s Fall and Winter 2026 Bug Barometer forecasts warm and wet conditions in North Carolina that could extend mosquito and cockroach activity.

Rodents could become a bigger concern as temperatures begin to fall.

“It’s really gonna be rodents. So, mice and rats, um, are gonna be the number one pest issues to be, to be preparing for as you go into those, um, those, uh, colder months,” Bentley said.

For homeowners looking to reduce mosquito activity around their property, Bentley recommends regularly checking anything that can collect water.

“Kids’ toys, dog water bowls, pet water bowls, anything like that that’s outside that could hold water, be sure that that water is being recycled, dumped out, and refreshed,” Bentley said.

If you’re a New Hanover County resident and would like to sign up for alerts about mosquito spraying visit this website.