Warming climate extends Korea’s mosquito season beyond summer
For generations, Koreans took comfort in an old saying: “After Cheoseo, mosquitoes lose their bite.” The seasonal marker, which fell on Aug. 23 this year, traditionally signaled the shift to cooler autumn weather. But that wisdom no longer holds. Recent studies show that in Korea, mosquito activity now reaches its peak not in midsummer but well into autumn, as climate change reshapes the insect’s life cycle in unexpected ways. Data from the Seoul Research Institute of Health and Environment showed that more mosquitoes were observed in the fall than in the summer last year. Between April and November, 16,997 mosquitoes were collected in light traps across the capital. More than half — 54.3 percent, or 9,234 — were observed in the fall months of September through November. October alone accounted for 5,087, more than twice July’s total of 2,511. The shift has been consistent in recent years. Between 2015 and 2019, mosquito activity typically peaked in July or August. Since 2020, however, the peak has moved to September, October or even November, with 2022 seeing the latest surge
