An often overlooked consequence of the zombie apocalypse, or any disaster, is the greater chance of death due to disease. There are many diseases to consider on this topic, but I shall only choose those that will be the most impactful early on. Simply, diseases carried by mosquitoes will greatly increase during the first years of the zombie apocalypse. I suspect not many zombie preppers have a years’ supply of repellent tucked away. So consider this your Public Service Announcement.

As society shifts toward a self-imposed quarantine and self sustainability, we lose the battle against our flying blood sucking friends. As cited by the American Mosquito Control Association, between 1994-2014, there were 36,000 cases of viral encephalitis due to mosquitoes. And this seems high, even when we are controlling mosquito populations for disease. Currently, many states in the United States spray during the spring and summer months to reduce the number of mosquitoes, and thus the incidence of disease like West Nile virus and the St. Louis virus. Even with the large amount of pesticides and manpower, many individuals may still contract the disease. However, due to our access to healthcare, often people survive these diseases with little to no long term effect.

Mosquitoes are one of natures best survivalist and have been around since the dinosaurs roamed the earth. Females are the only ones that take a blood meal, males drink nectar (as do females). What’s concerning is how quickly they can reproduce. Females can lay, on average, 100-200 eggs over their life cycle. Mosquitoes require water for the development of their offspring. Depending on the species, these eggs can mature through their larval stages into adulthood from 5 -14 days. That’s right, days.

So let us consider the apocalypse. The manufacture of these pesticides will cease. The spraying of the pesticides will cease. The workforce dedicated to cleaning out storm drains, and repair of water drainage will disappear. The consequence will be standing pools of water due to lack of drainage, which will become mosquito breeding grounds. Another hidden reservoir are swimming pools. Simply open google maps and check your neighborhood for those beautiful blue pools. Ah, yes, sweet summer time fun. But it will become your death during the apocalypse because without constant attention, the pool will become a breeding site for mosquitoes.

Not only will these little creatures be bothersome, but allow me to inform you on the diseases they can carry here in the United States: Malaria, Chikungunya, Dengue, Yellow Fever, West Nile, and many more. This is a major concern now in the states, imagine the impact when all control methods cease. The first few years will be filled with mosquito borne illness. The balance will be offset to favor mosquitoes until enough time has passed and nature will have a chance to rebalance.

So as a fellow Zombie Prepper, I implore you to add insect repellent into your zombie supply. If you are gonna go out in a blaze of glory, make sure it’s a massive zombie horde that does it, not the irritating little vampire, the mosquito.