VC Mosquito Control Urges Residents To Help Reduce Mosquitos

DeLand, FL – With all of the recent rain, standing water is not only blocking roadways it’s giving mosquitos a lot more area to lay their eggs. Volusia County Mosquito Control Director Suzanne Bartlett says that surveillance data shows that the population of mosquitos due to flooding is on the rise.  “Floodwater mosquitoes result from eggs laid in the soil that have dried and are awaiting a rain event to hatch into mosquito larvae.” To do your part in keeping the mosquito population down, Bartlett encourages you to take a walk around the outside of your home to check for standing water in potted plants, yard ornaments, wading pools, and birdbaths. Emptying the water at least once a week can break the mosquito life cycle. Areas that can’t be easily drained could be a good spot of mosquito fish or Gambusia, which are provided by Mosquito Control to the public for free. Volusia County Mosquito Control is an integrated pest management program that includes an extensive surveillance system. Larvicide operations are routinely conducted on the ground and also by air using a helicopter during the daytime hours. Larviciding targets mosquito larvae in the water before they emerge into biting adult mosquitoes. When adult populations increase, so does the risk of mosquito-borne illness, adulticide operations are planned to target flying the mosquitoes. The operations are done by truck, helicopter, or fixed-wing aircraft after sunset or before sunrise when pollinators such as bees are not active. “Mosquito Control staff is working day and night to combat these pesky mosquitoes. Based upon recent widespread rainfall affecting the county, we are planning aerial adulticide operations,” Bartlett said. “We will have increased low flying helicopter operations over the next few weeks, as weather permits.” For the latest information on mosquito control in Volusia County, visit volusia.org