AUSTIN, Texas — Texas holds the most spots on Orkin’s ‘Top Mosquito Cities’ list with seven cities.

Mosquitoes can transmit several diseases to humans including Zika virus, West Nile virus and several kinds of encephalitis. And on top of that, bites are itchy/annoying. 

Orkin’s list ranks metro areas by the number of new mosquito customers served from April 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018.

  1. Atlanta
  2. Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
  3. New York
  4. Washington, D.C.
  5. Chicago
  6. St. Louis, Mo.
  7. Houston
  8. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.
  9. Kansas City, Mo.
  10. Charlotte, N.C.
  11. Detroit
  12. Memphis, Tenn.
  13. Nashville, Tenn.
  14. Tampa-St. Petersburg, Fla.
  15. Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
  16. Los Angeles
  17. Philadelphia
  18. Birmingham, Ala.
  19. Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne, Fla.
  20. Austin, Texas
  21. Mobile-Pensacola, Fla.
  22. Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, Mich.
  23. Norfolk-Portsmouth-Newport News, Va.
  24. Indianapolis, Ind.
  25. Phoenix, Ariz.
  26. Albany-Schenectady-Troy, N.Y.
  27. Lafayette, La.
  28. Baton Rouge, La.
  29. New Orleans, La.
  30. Richmond-Petersburg, Va.
  31. Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C., Asheville, N.C.
  32. Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.
  33. Boston
  34. Wichita-Hutchinson, Ka.
  35. Tulsa, Okla.
  36. Hartford-New Haven, Conn.
  37. San Antonio, Texas
  38. Springfield, Mo.
  39. Abilene-Sweetwater, Texas
  40. Oklahoma City
  41. Waco-Temple-Bryan, Texas
  42. Baltimore, Md.
  43. Huntsville-Decatur, Ala.
  44. Shreveport, La.
  45. Portland-Auburn, Maine
  46. Knoxville, Tenn.
  47. Cleveland-Akron-Canton, Ohio
  48. West Palm Beach-Ft. Pierce, Fla.
  49. Bangor, Maine
  50. Harlingen-Brownsville-McAllen-Weslaco, Texas

Eliminate Mosquito-Friendly Conditions in and Around Your Yard:

  • Any object that has the potential to hold water should be removed or cleaned out frequently, as mosquitoes can breed in just an inch of standing water.
  • Clean gutters to avoid rainwater build up. Be sure to check for puddles that form on the roof from rain water, leaking pipes or even condensation from air conditioners.
  • Change water weekly in bird baths, fountains, potted plants and any containers that hold standing water.
  • Keep pool water treated and circulating.
  • Trim shrubbery, as adult mosquitoes like to rest in dark areas with high humidity, such as under the leaves of lush vegetation.

Prevent Mosquitoes from Biting:

  • Wear loose-fitting, long-sleeved shirts and long pants. Mosquitoes can bite through tight clothing.
  • Apply an EPA-registered mosquito repellent containing products such as DEET, picaridin or IR3535.