ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – If you have been outside recently, you’ve probably noticed how bad the flies are right now. The City of Albuquerque says this season they’re buzzing around more than usual. “There were like flies, like the annoying ones, just everywhere.”

Sophia Stickney wasn’t alone at Rio Grande Park Monday morning. She was joined by some pesky flies and they were really starting to bug her. “They’re landing everywhere, buzzing in my ear, and you know I got to get out of the shade and into the sun where they won’t find me,” Stickney said.

The flies usually come out during the rainy season, but this year, they came out earlier than normal and in swarms.

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Truly Nolen Pest and Termite Control in Albuquerque say they have seen a 20% increase in fly calls this year. They blame the uptick on a warm winter, hot summer, and a couple of weeks of rain early in the monsoon. “Remember that everything needs water and shelter and food and when we see more water in short periods of time like that, it allows everything to thrive so the flies have had more to eat and more to nest in this year compared to other years,” Brandon Bertram, the Manager of Truly Nolen said.

The city says it has seen the increase too, with more people reporting the bugs than in previous years. Certain bug sprays are even hard to come by right now at stores around the city. “Unfortunately if people feel like they’re bad now, wait until the end of August, beginning of September when they really typically get bad, they’re going to probably be even worse than we are seeing right now, unfortunately,” Dr. Mark DiMenna, the Deputy Director for the Environmental Health Department said.

For now, they say keep your fly swatters and bug spray handy. The city says you can cut down on the problem a little by taking out your trash regularly, cleaning up after your pets promptly, and by avoiding the overwatering of your yard.