April Showers Bring May Mosquitoes

By Patrick Linn, MS, MSHAPI
Executive Director, Collier Mosquito Control District

Each year as our seasonal residents return north for the summer, Southwest Florida prepares to welcome a different type of visitor. Due to Florida’s subtropical climate, our area experiences mosquitoes year-round. However, during the summer rainy season, the mosquito population grows exponentially.

The start of mosquito season in the late spring often brings a heavy dose of Aedes taeniorhynchus, informally known as salt marsh mosquitoes. These mosquitoes lay their eggs in mangrove beds, where they can lay dormant for years. When high tides come in and saturate the beds, the eggs start to develop. At the adult stage, large broods of saltmarsh mosquitoes come off the coast and use prevailing winds to travel up to 40 miles.

While these mosquitoes don’t carry disease, they are extremely aggressive biters. Collier Mosquito Control District (the District) recommends using bug spray and wearing long sleeves, when possible, to protect yourself. Due to their migratory nature, saltmarsh mosquitoes can pose challenges when it comes to treatment.

District aircraft can treat mosquitoes that are present at the time of treatment, but during salt marsh season broods are continuously coming off the coast replacing the mosquitoes that have just been taken down. As we move deeper into the rainy summer months, disease carrying mosquitoes that breed in standing water become more prevalent. Unlike the salt marsh mosquito, everyone can help limit the population of these mosquitoes by maintaining pools and fountains and emptying containers of standing water on their property.

These mosquitoes can lay their eggs in something as small as a soda bottle cap that is holding water. Anyone who has areas of standing water that are not able to be poured out may request free mosquito-eating fish from the District.

While salt marsh mosquitoes can cause a nuisance, these mosquitoes such as Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus, Culex nigripalpus and Culex quinquefasciatus pose serious health concerns. The Aedes mosquitoes are known to transmit tropical diseases such as yellow fever and dengue, while the Culex mosquitoes carry diseases such as encephalitis and the West Nile virus.

Dengue has become especially prevalent in Florida, with an exponential growth in cases over the last several years. This has led many experts to believe that the virus is now endemic to the state.

Earlier this year Puerto Rico declared a state of emergency due to Dengue, and tourism and commerce between Florida and Puerto Rico means that we are likely to continue seeing more cases throughout the state.

We enjoy many perks of living in Southwest Florida, but the climate that draws so many people to our region also creates a perfect breeding ground for disease carrying mosquitoes. Throughout the summer, the District will be monitoring our community daily to identify problem areas and promptly jump into action to alleviate the threats posed by these insects. However, the entire community needs to do their part in fighting the bite.

By remembering the “Four Ds”, you can help your family have a safe and fun summer:

• Drain Drain standing water from containers around your home.
• Dress Wear long sleeves and pants outdoors when it is reasonable.
• Defend Use an EPA approved mosquito repellent with DEET,picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
• Dusk & Dawn Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active.

To learn more about the Florida Mosquito Control Association, visit their website at www.yourfmca.org. To learn more about the District or to sign up to receive treatment notifications, visit our website at www.cmcd.org.

The Collier Mosquito Control District works to safeguard the health and wellbeing of our residents through the safest and most economical means available. If you would like more information about how we control mosquitoes, please visit our website at cmcd.org or call us 239-436-1000.