Standing water, such as what remains after flooding, brings an onset of mosquitoes. With the recent flooding along the Squaw Creek, Ames has become an ideal breeding ground for the blood-sucking pests.

“Because there’s been so much rainfall this year, all of these rain events have been opportunities for mosquitoes to lay extreme numbers of eggs,” said Brendan Dunphy, ISU medical entomology research associate. “The Aedes and Culex mosquitoes, both abundant in Iowa, lay their eggs on solid ground. When the water comes it helps these eggs to hatch.”

Mosquito eggs can also lie dormant in dry conditions for up to three months and still hatch if they’re exposed to the right conditions. Eggs require a combination of water and warm temperatures in order to hatch.

Earlier in the spring Iowa had plenty of rainfall, but didn’t have temperatures high enough for there to be so many mosquitoes.

“Now that we are experiencing temperatures in the 80s and 90s more eggs are being laid and hatched,” said Dunphy.

As cities like Ames attempt to deal with the issue of rising mosquito numbers, a new report from the Iowa Department of Public Health on  Thursday confirmed the first case this year of an Iowan contracting West Nile virus.

“West Nile virus is a seasonal threat especially in late August or early September,” said Patricia Quinlisk, IDPH medical director.

Approximately 80 percent of people who contract the virus do not show any symptoms, according to the Center for Disease Control. West Nile attacks the nervous system, so symptoms which do appear may include headaches, fever, soreness, aches and sometimes rashes.

The first case in Iowa was found in an adult male, between the age of 18 and 40, in Woodbury county.

“If this year proves to be a typical year, we expect to see more cases of West Nile virus illness in Iowa,” Quinlisk said. “Mosquitoes don’t die until the first frost, so Iowans should get in the habit of taking precautions for the next couple of months.”

The CDC said the virus is commonly found in Africa, West Asia and the Middle East, and best estimates say the virus first appeared in North America around 1999.

Standing pools of water and soggy ground combined with heat creates ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes, although temperatures have dropped significantly since early August.

Ames has been fogging the parks since June 21 and said they will continue through Labor Day in attempts to keep mosquito numbers down and prevent the increased breeding. Ames also experienced an influx of mosquitoes in 2008 after heavy rains.

The city is asking residents to empty any standing water on their property. The IDPH recommends taking the following precautions:

– Use insect repellent whenever outdoors, especially during peak biting times from dusk to dawn. They recommend repellent with DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus.

– Wear long-sleeved shirts, pants, shoes and socks whenever possible outdoors to cover as much skin as possible.

– Eliminate mosquito-breeding sites by removing sources of standing water — dumping any pots, toys, tarps, etc. with pooling water — in outdoor areas whenever possible.