Predicting mosquito season in SE Sierra

[jfbruin34]

Im pretty new here but love this forum. Trying to plan a short wkd backpacking trip out of one of the southeast trailheads (eg Big Pine, Onion Valley, Sabrina Basin or nearby) pre-mosquito season. I know a lot has to do with how hot it gets, how fast, but anyone have general guidance? We had an epic day hike over Kearsarge a couple of years ago in mid June that was largely mosquito free, but with current snowpack it’s night and day this year. Thanks in advance!

[c9h13no3]

Hard to say. Usually mosquitoes need warmth and they start up around the end of June in a normal year. In a dry year, they quit when the moisture is gone around late July. In a wet year, they quit after a few nights of freezing temperatures.

I’d think the pre-thaw mosquito period will likely be longer, since more water sources up high will be covered in snow. For lakes around 9K, I’m going to guess mid-July? It will vary a ton by location.

I’d bet mosquito season has already started up to around 3000-4000’ right now, and it will rise as things warm up & melt out.

[kpeter]

Mosquito season begins approximately 2 weeks after the snow melts at a given location and extends for about six weeks after that, tapering off gradually. The exception is if there is an unexpected hard frost that kills them after they have hatched--but that is rare. It has to be a pretty hard freeze to get them.

So to get in before the mosquitos swarm, you want to be up very near (or above) snow line in a place the snow line has just recently receded. If you get there two weeks later you will be a pincushion.

Unfortunately, these calculations can get thrown out by mid season because the hatched mosquitoes will have time to move around from lower to higher and vice versa. You can only predict them early season with good intel on snowline.

This year is a very slow melt, which is extremely bad for mosquito season--as in pushing it much later into the season, perhaps as late as September in the higher elevations. Snow lines have been only slowly melting all through May since it has not warmed up much in California since April. Not only did we have near record snowfall, we have had a near record cool May.

My advice would to to find out the snowline in the vicinity of your chosen destination, and get there ASAP. Beyond that, just be prepared for many, many skeeters. It has taken me decades, but I can tolerate even the worst of them now, with a lot of care and prep. Children, on the other hand, and beginners with little experience being bitten, are an entirely different story. It may be best for them to wait until September or early October.

[Lumbergh21]

It has taken me decades, but I can tolerate even the worst of them now, with a lot of care and prep. Children, on the other hand, and beginners with little experience being bitten, are an entirely different story.

Me too mosquitoes don't bother me nearly as much as children and beginners now.

[kpeter]

It has taken me decades, but I can tolerate even the worst of them now, with a lot of care and prep. Children, on the other hand, and beginners with little experience being bitten, are an entirely different story.

Me too mosquitoes don't bother me nearly as much as children and beginners now.

Very droll!