Collier Mosquito Control District Celebrates 75 Years of Service

Jonathon Little

by Jonathon Little, Communications Director,
Collier Mosquito Control District

This year, the Collier Mosquito Control District is celebrating its 75th anniversary of serving the residents of Collier County. Created by an act of the Florida Legislature, the District started as the Naples Mosquito Control District in 1950, serving six square miles in the City of Naples. Over the years, the District has expanded ten times, most recently in 2024, and now encompasses 730 square miles of Collier County.

Over the last 75 years, the District has seen immense innovation in mosquito control as our community’s population has exploded. In 1950, the District owned a single treatment truck, with various community leaders taking turns driving it around Naples to try to provide relief from the annoying insects. Today, the District boasts a fleet of more than a dozen trucks, three airplanes, four helicopters and several treatment and mapping drones.

The District’s innovations reach far beyond just increasing the fleet of vehicles and aircraft. Mosquito control looks vastly different than it did in its early days. Longtime residents often reminisce about running behind mosquito control trucks and playing in the fog when they were kids. Today, treatments are very scientific and targeted. An improvement in surveillance techniques allows the operations team to use real-time data to target adult mosquitoes and larvae more effectively and efficiently. Aerial treatments now use an ultra-low volume technique designed to target mosquitoes that are in the air at the time of treatment while limiting unintended effects on non-target species and the ecosystem.

The District’s mosquito control program eventually evolved into the integrated pest management program we have today. Integrated mosquito control focuses on sustainability and efficiency while pursuing our mission of protecting public health and comfort for the residents and visitors we serve.

This multi-pronged approach has led to the identification of dozens of new mosquito species to Collier County and helps empower residents to take mosquito control into their own hands through education and outreach. Many problematic mosquitoes breed in small containers in close proximity to humans and educating residents as part of our integrated approach arms them with the knowledge of how to protect their own property. Tolearn more about ways you can help protect your local community from the threat of mosquitoes, please visit https://cmcd.org/science/disease-prevention/.

We will be celebrating our 75th anniversary throughout the entire year, and, on April 5, we are hosting our annual open house at District headquarters at the Naples Airport which will also double as a large 75th anniversary celebration that is open to the public.

Anyone who would like to learn more about Collier MosquitoControl District’s history and operations can reach out to us atinfo@cmcd.org to schedule a tour for themselves or a group.

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.