It's been refreshingly pleasant the past few weeks on the back decks and patios of Beaufort County.

 The weather has been nice, there's been little rain, and perhaps most important, very few mosquitoes have been buzzing around. Enjoy it.

 'Things are pretty quiet right now,' said Gregg Hunt, the county's mosquito control director. 'Give us another month, and it's going to be crazy.'

 The area's lack of rain and moderate temperatures have kept mosquito populations low during the first part of spring, giving Mosquito Control time to catch up on maintaining equipment and filling two vacant positions.

 Hunt and his crew have not yet started aerial spraying missions, but several gated communities began spraying during the last two weeks.

 'Add another 10 degrees to daily temperatures and a little bit of rain, and we're going to see a mass emergence of eggs,' Hunt said. 'We'll be ready to go on a moment's notice.'