Personal blog about states
Most of the state — and Alaska is a huge state — is ideal habitat for mosquitoes and also black flies, which are just as much of a nuisance. Alaska has more wetlands than any other state. It rains a lot. Mosquitoes thrive especially well in tundra regions as well as lowlands and boreal forests.
In the more commonly traveled areas of Alaska , several environmental factors help keep mosquitoes at bay. First, there aren’t mosquitoes all summer long. They’re most prevalent after a hatch, with the mosquito population spiking late June through July, and again, briefly, at the beginning of August.
Alaska mosquitoes , after all, don’t carry malaria or dengue fever, diseases that are borne by the same mosquitoes that can spread Zika.
When is the best month to visit Alaska? You can’t go wrong visiting Alaska anytime between May 10 and September 15. The days are long, nature is in full bloom, and the air is alive with energy. But, for the absolute best time to visit Alaska, shoot for June 15 to July 15.
A: August is always milder than July in terms of bugs. We tend to get frosty nights as early as the end of July, and that kills off a lot of the bugs. By the way, black flies aren’t that much of an issue here anyway.
Best Time to See the Northern Lights in Alaska Alaska’s northern lights season is between mid – September and late April , peaking in March , though it’s a season defined more by its long, dark nights than by solar activity.
Generally, mosquito activity will begin when the temperature reaches the 50° F level. Mosquitoes thrive on hot weather . Thus, as the temperature begins to rise, the mosquito volume increases accordingly. The mosquito season reaches its peak during the hot summer months.
Ticks can come to Alaska on dogs, and on farm animals like cows and horses. Dog, deer and moose ticks aren’t native to Alaska , but could survive here if introduced. There is one native species, generally found on squirrels and hares.
Alaska has 35 species of mosquito , and all but a few will be more than happy to nibble on humans. But mosquitoes are only really an issue for Alaska visitors from the second week in June to the last week in July, and even then, they’re not nearly as bad as myth would have it.
While the pesky insects can be found throughout the United States, these are the U.S. cities with the most rampant mosquito populations. Washington, D.C. New York , New York . Chicago, Illinois. Dallas-Ft. Detroit, Michigan. 8/11. Charlotte, North Carolina. 9/11. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 10/11. Miami, Florida . 11/11.
August
The only major venomous spider possibly found in Alaska is the hobo spider , Tegenaria agrestis, which was introduced from Europe to the Pacific Northwest in the 1930s. Males are more venomous than females (3).
As of January 2020, there are no areas with a current Zika outbreak. If you are trying to get pregnant, or your partner is trying to get pregnant, then you may want to reconsider travel because of the virus’s link to birth defects and complications.
While there is no risk of malaria in Alaska , the C.D.C. Plasmodium vivax, a malaria variety that is more tolerant of lower temperatures, is found in some cooler regions, along with Anopheles mosquitoes that can transmit malaria .