Photo by Marcellina

With summer upon us and more people venturing outside to enjoy the weather, the region’s bugs are gearing up for a full season of feasting on their human victims. And while bug bites may be an annoying side effect of summer, we can at least be happy knowing that we’re not Tampa.

WTOP reports today that the Florida city topped the rankings of America’s buggiest city according to research by OFF!, followed by New Orleans, Houston, Virginia Beach, and Miami. D.C. only ranked 18th, followed by Baltimore in the 19 spot.

The issue of bugs was clearly on the minds of some Prince of Petworth readers yesterday, who complained that new rain-catching tubs being installed by the city at the base of young trees to could foster mosquito growth. (The D.C. Department of Transportation said that they’re meant to leak water out into the soil around the tree over the course of a few hours; most mosquitoes only develop in standing water after a few days.)

Either way, D.C. officials seem to want our buggy ranking to drop. As part of the 2013 D.C. budget, the Department of Health is tasked with crafting and implementing a mosquito abatement plan, an idea first floated by Councilmember Muriel Bowser (D-Ward 4) earlier this year.