The recently melted bodies of water and warm temperatures are bringing back our other state bird earlier than normal. Mosquitos are already back and biting in Central Minnesota for the spring and summer season.

I was hanging out with my family over Easter weekend, soaking in the warm sunshine and light breeze as we sat by the lake anticipating the fun to be had this coming summer. As we were chit-chatting, it was brought up that my aunt had her first mosquito kill of the season last week in her yard, and my mom had spotted one just the day before.

Pests.org has released their 2021 mosquito forecast for the entire country, and in Minnesota and the Midwest as a whole, it isn't looking great. Mosquito season in our area is expected to start from late April to late May and usually wraps up in mid-October.

During the 2021 mosquito season, there’s about a 50 percent chance of having a hotter, wetter summer in the Midwest, according to the National Weather Service. As a result, you can expect the mosquito populations to follow suit.

Hot and wet, two things mosquitos love. According to the same website, we can expect to see a mosquito boom when temperatures stay above 50 degrees at night for an entire week.

Make sure you have plenty of bug spray, citronella candles, and get rid of as much standing water as you can. We might be in store for an itchy summer.

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Stacker compiled a list of the best places to live in Minnesota using data from Niche. Niche ranks places to live based on a variety of factors including cost of living, schools, health care, recreation, and weather. Cities, suburbs, and towns were included. Listings and images are from realtor.com.

On the list, there's a robust mix of offerings from great schools and nightlife to high walkability and public parks. Some areas have enjoyed rapid growth thanks to new businesses moving to the area, while others offer glimpses into area history with well-preserved architecture and museums. Keep reading to see if your hometown made the list.

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