Mosquitoes love water, and this spring the little buggers are in paradise.

Lincoln doesn’t look like a swamp, but it has gotten nearly 6 inches of rain so far this month, which is about 3 inches above normal.

Area lakes and farm ponds are full, and creeks have been running high. The rain also has left pools of  water in backyard buckets, pet dishes and gutters — prime breeding spots for mosquitoes.  

And more rain is in the forecast as people get ready for the Memorial Day weekend.

Dr. Annette Bredthauer, public health veterinarian with the state’s Health and Human Services System, said she’s already had reports of  “armies” of mosquitoes.

Mosquitoes  can’t stand running water, but they love to lay eggs in areas where water tends to pool and becomes landlocked, she said.

The good news is that the types of mosquitoes being seen now aren’t the ones that carry the deadly West Nile virus. Those pesky critters tend to show up later in the summer and like to breed in places associated with agriculture — pools of water formed by irrigation pipes and ditches.  The  West Nile virus-carrying species, Culex tarsalis, also prefers hot weather.

West Nile virus is spread by mosquitoes that feed on infected birds, and it can cause serious illness and death in people, horses and other animals.

Symptoms of West Nile virus include fever, headaches, body aches, nausea and swollen lymph nodes found on the throat, arms, legs and other parts of the body.

“About one in 150 people (with West Nile virus) will develop a severe illness,” Bredthauer said. “Even though it is not a common disease, it can be real devastating for people that come down with it.”

Last year, the Health and Human Services System reported 255 human cases of West Nile virus in Nebraska. Two people died and 80 were hospitalized.

Bredthauer said it is difficult to predict what kind of summer Nebraska will have with respect to West Nile. The season for Culex tarsalis is usually mid-July through early September.

“A lot of it depends on temperature,” she said. “The virus and mosquitoes need high temperatures to go through development quickly.”

Cooler temperatures could slow the breeding of virus-carrying mosquitoes and delay the onset of the West Nile virus season, even to the point where frost could kill off some of the mosquito population, Bredthauer said.

People can lower their risk of getting the disease by wearing insect repellent, long-sleeved shirts and long pants, light-colored clothing and by draining standing water.

The state will begin its West Nile virus surveillance program June 1 to track and combat the spread of the disease. The program includes trapping mosquitoes at more than 20 sites across Nebraska and sending them to labs to be tested.

Dead birds also will be collected beginning May 30. Anyone who finds  dead blue jays, crows and eagles and hawks, is asked to contact the local health department.

The incidence of West Nile virus in horses appears to be on the decline, Bredthauer said, possibly due to owners vaccinating their animals or the horses building up a resistance to the disease.

Reach Algis J. Laukaitis at 473-7243 or alaukaitis@journalstar.com.