ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A study from Los Alamos National Laboratory looked at the impact of climate change on mosquitoes and where they could live in the coming years and decades. 

Several different types are likely going to expand their geographical range. Unlike with cicadas, this is a surge that won’t miss New Mexico, based on the study. 

Many types are likely to expand toward the poles in both north and South America. The Albuquerque Environmental Health Department notes we may already be seeing some of it. 

“Maybe people that grew up here or lived here for a very long time were never seeing mosquito issues, and now it’s almost unbearable sometimes. And that’s, you know, an unfortunate part of these mosquitoes,” said Nick Pederson, a city of Albuquerque Urban Biology Division manager.

He says we saw certain mosquito populations start to entrench themselves in the metro around 2018. By 2020 or 2021 some of them were completely established. 

The Los Alamos study found habitats will become more suitable from this decade until 2090. New Mexico is included, but so is much of the western hemisphere. 

In the metro in May and June, people may encounter some aggressive mosquitoes, especially near the bosque. 

“That is almost an expectation for Albuquerque, that’s where our water is, so we get these kind of May and June floodwater mosquito species that are pretty aggressive biters and can be quite numerous,” said Pederson.

Some tips to protect yourself include not being out at certain times of the day like early morning and evening, wearing clothing that fully covers you, and draining standing water. 

“That’s where we’re telling people to just really look for that standing water around the yard.  Doesn’t take much.  It can just be something simple like water in the trash or water in a bird bath or a dog dish,” said Pederson. 

In fact, the city has a list of 19 places where you can typically find standing water. If your mosquito problem gets really bad, you can dial 311.