Whenever top 10 lists are made of the most dangerous animals on Earth, this critter sits easily at No. 1.

Forget lions, tigers or bears or even great white sharks, says the World Health Organization, mosquito casualties measure in the millions. Annually. Its ability to carry diseases and spread them to humans is unsurpassed.

Springtime and early summer in Idaho is time for skeeters. More than just the bringer of annoying, itchy bumps, mosquitoes in Idaho can bring West Nile virus. Mosquitoes in Canyon County tested positive for the virus last week.

Eastern Idaho mosquito abatement districts are out now setting traps for the bug and testing for West Nile virus.

“The big danger, of course, is in the U.S. we have had human casualties of West Nile, and we continue to have those,” said David Herter, supervisor of Bannock County Mosquito Abatement. “A lot of people that contract West Nile virus have no symptoms — never know they had it. A lot of people that contract it will get flu-like symptoms and be very achy and end up with memory loss. Some of those symptoms can last for years. We do not want it to get out in the general public if we can control it in the mosquito population.”

In rare cases, West Nile virus is fatal to people, horses, birds and other animals. Fortunately for horses, a vaccine has been developed.

Herter said the mosquito problem is like a roller coaster — some years are worse than others.

“In 2006, Idaho led the nation in positive West Nile virus in people,” he said. “And every year we have had it. Some years higher, some years lower. Two years ago here in Bannock County we actually had to declare an emergency declaration because we had so much of it. Last year we didn’t find hardly any of it.”

Herter said years with an abundance of water can give mosquitoes an extra boost. Years like this year.

“I don’t want to scare people, but it is a possibility to see high counts of mosquitoes just like they are in the Canyon County area,” Herter said.

Experts say combating mosquitoes is a matter of breaking down its lifecycle. Eliminate stagnant water where the bug lays its eggs, such as bird baths, clogged rain gutters, puddles, overwatered lawns, etc. And treating known hot spots with bacteria that attacks mosquito larva.

For personal protection, experts recommend bug dope with at least 30 percent DEET and/or wearing head nets in bug country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists only four chemicals as being effective for repelling mosquitoes: DEET, Picaridin, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus (or its synthetic version, called PMD) and IR3535.

Linda Veress, a former backcountry ranger in Alaska and now an information officer at Yellowstone National Park, has seen her share of skeeters.

“I look for something with DEET in a container that won’t leak,” she said. “I cover up in the evenings and use a head net with a hat, but if I am hiking in the middle of the day and it is hot, I will use the spray.”

Veress said a couple of areas in the park that seem to be most buggy are Shoshone Lake and the Bechler Meadows area.

Other outdoor recreators responding to a query on social media have their favorite places to get bit: “Hungry Horse Reservoir near Glacier (National Park),” said Ken Durstine. “Big Sandy (Lake) in the Wind Rivers. Aggressive!” said Wade Seeley. Clay Gentillion also mentioned Yellowstone’s Shoshone Lake.

Other remedies to deter mosquitoes can range widely, from lemongrass oil, permethrin treated clothes, peppermint oil, eating garlic cloves or taking vitamin B. Some remedies may chase away human companions as well, and there isn’t much evidence that some folk remedies are effective.

“The one that was going on around here a few years ago was mouthwash,” Herter said. “I told people I think all that’s going to do is give the mosquito nice breath when they bite you because they’re still biting.”