🦟 The mosquitos are as bad as you think

🔥 Canadian Wildfires Are Really Messing With Our Air Quality

• Smoke drifting across the border from Canadian wildfires has caused the air quality in the upper Midwest to seriously deteriorate in the last few days, including in all of Wisconsin.
• An EPA map showed Wisconsin’s air as “unhealthy” and the state was under an advisory from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources until noon Monday.
• Several Wisconsin counties had their air quality rated “sensitive for moderate groups”, while Dane County’s air quality level improved to “moderate.” [AP, WI DNR)

🚌 Madison BRT Fields Accessibility Complaints

• Madison transportation officials have been responding to complaints from riders about bus rapid transit accessibility issues including bus drivers not deploying bridge plates that connect platforms and buses. Residents have also complained of drivers passing by riders with wheelchairs or walkers, and drivers not giving those with mobility issues enough time to get on the bus.
• At a Transportation Committee meeting last week, officials said they’ve been conducting safety reviews, and conducting refresher training with drivers so they know how to deploy the plates successfully. Staff also rode with disability rights advocates to get feedback and suggestions. [Cap Times]

🖥️ $3B Server Farm Coming to Dane County Farmland?

• Virginia-based QTS Data Centers is proposing a 315-acre campus west of DeForest and just off Highway V that would cost $3 billion and create 450 permanent jobs in the area.
• Data centers house the servers, routers, and other equipment that power the internet and online services. The explosive growth of AI computing has increased the demand for server capacity, which in turn has increased demand for new data centers.
• The company did not share any artist renderings, and filed a request letter with local officials to start the planning process. [🔒 WSJ]

It seems like it’s become a standard topic of conversation during a Wisconsin summer: What did you do last weekend? Where did you go? And how many mosquito bites did you get?

Anecdotally, it feels like the pesky little critters are really having a moment this year. But do the numbers back that up? On the City Cast Madison podcast today, host Bianca Martin chats about this summer’s swarm with Lyric Bartholomay, the UW-Madison professor and co-director of the Midwest Center of Excellence for Vector Borne Illness.

If the podcast doesn’t entirely scratch your itch for information about mosquitos, here’s some more facts about these insects and how to deal with them.

Are the Mosquitos Really Bad This Year?

I mean, they’re not good. The truth is that this is actually a pretty typical year for mosquitos in Wisconsin if you look at long-term trend lines. But it seems worse because the last two summers were really dry, and the drought meant fewer mosquitos. This year has had a more normal rainfall amount, which has meant more mosquitos.

The good news is that the insects usually start petering out around mid-July. The bad news is that continued rainfall can extend that lifespan — and there’s rain in the forecast later this week and next week.

Do They Carry Disease?

Mosquitos are the primary carriers of West Nile Virus, and spread the disease by feeding on infected birds and then feeding on humans and other animals. Mosquitos may also carry other illnesses such as the Jamestown Canyon Virus and La Crosse Encephalitis Virus.

However, the mosquitos that usually carry viruses do not thrive on rainfall, and have actually been washed out of town by all the precipitation. That leaves just our current floodwater mosquitos, which are mostly a nuisance.

Meet Bubbles! This 9-year-old terrier mix has been known to have a little nervousness when meeting new people and dogs, so she’s looking for a calm and quiet home without small children. Once she’s comfortable, she enjoys receiving pets (and hot dogs!) and giving kisses. She has lived with other dogs and gotten along with them once the jitters have subsided. She’d thrive with a patient family who will give her the time she needs to help her come out of her shell.