Rhonda Wiley lives five miles from the nearest flood waters — not far enough.

Every time she walks out her door in northwest Missouri, she gets blanketed by mosquitoes.

Beyond the drowned farmlands, evacuated homes and closed roads, mosquitoes have become a small but annoying consequence of this year’s Missouri River flooding.

They’re thriving in flood-plagued areas, using the standing water to multiply in droves. Some cities have already had to increase preventative measures — sometimes sprayingevery night. But even then, residents of flood-stricken areas can expect the blood-suckers to be horrid all summer.

“You walk outside and within seconds you can see them on your arms,” said Wiley, director of emergency management for Atchison County, Mo. “You can see them swarming the dogs like flies.”

Wiley said she bought special sprays for her dogs as well as extra spray for the family.

“We’ve lived here 10 years and this is the first year we’ve had to spray our yard,” she said.

The stagnant pools left by flood water create the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes, say experts with the Missouri Department of Conservation.

“There will be plenty of habitat for them to do their thing and plenty of mosquito larva,” said Sean Cleary, wildlife management biologist.

Roger Latham, emergency management director for Andrew County, said he, too, has noticed a significant increase in mosquitoes.

“We have a lot of standing water,” Latham said. “They are getting bigger and more numerous every day.”