She wonders: “Are there more mosquitoes in a hot summer?” A logical question, especially after the hot weeks that we have already completed. And what turns out? The answer is less straightforward than you might think!
Although mosquitoes love heat, a hot summer is not automatically a guarantee for more mosquitoes. This is the conclusion of research by Wageningen University & Research, which via Muggenradar.nl Keep track of how much nuisance people experience every year.
The ordinary house stitch mosquito, Culex PipiensNamely, it needs water to reproduce. She prefers to put her eggs in stagnant water: flower pots, rain barrels or ditches are popular delivery rooms. In the first half of 2025 it was very hot, but also strikingly dry. As a result, there were simply fewer suitable places for the mosquitoes to reproduce.
Yet it is not just good news for mosquito haters. Due to the heat wave from the beginning of July, the larvae that were there were developed rapidly. A few days of tropical temperatures is for mosquito larvae as a pressure cooker: they grow much faster than normal. This ensures that they come out earlier and can therefore cause nuisance faster.
This is also apparent from reports on Muggenradar.nl, where at the beginning of July more complaints suddenly came in about mosquito nuisance in all parts of the country.
The fact that there suddenly seem to be more mosquitoes after a warm period is therefore mainly due to timing. Due to the heat, the larvae develop faster, and many adult mosquitoes are added in a short time.
In addition, in warm weather, people keep windows and doors open more often, sleep with the bedroom window ajar, or they sit outside in the evening. All this makes it a lot easier for the mosquitoes to strike.
Moreover, not all mosquitoes are the same. Some species, such as the tiger mosquito, only pop up under specific circumstances, for example if they accidentally ride with holidaymakers, car tires or plants from abroad.
For the house stitch, which is most common in the Netherlands, it applies in particular: if there is water and warmth, then the party is. That is why researchers warn that a few days of rain can also be enough for a new mosquito peak after a dry period.
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