BAY COUNTY, Mich. -- Get ready to take out the repellant, mosquitoes are on the rise in Mid-Michigan.

June showers lead to puddles and the puddles lead to the buzzing pests. Now Bay County said you can expect a bump in bites in July.

Bridgette Anspaugh, an Auburn resident, said hitting herself is never a pleasant thing. “They are horrible not only for me but for the dogs also,” Anspaugh said.

Experts with Bay County Mosquito Control said compared to this time last year, Mid-Michigan has seen more of the blood-sucking insect and heavy rain is to blame.

“The more rain we get, the more we have,” said biologist Mary McCarry. “In June, we had about five inches of rain.”

She also said, “We watch those numbers and compare [them], and we are a little bit above average this year.”

McCarry has suggestions for people with a lot of mosquitoes around their homes.

“Dumping containers is a large part of the solution. They need very little water to breed; you can find them breeding in an inch of water in a Dixie Cup.”