Volusia Residents Offered Free Tire Disposal to Combat Mosquitoes

Residents of Volusia County are being offered an opportunity to dispose of any tires they have lying around at a collection event next week, as part of an initiative to control mosquito breeding. The program is being facilitated by Volusia County Mosquito Control. On Saturday, April 5th residents can bring their unwanted tires to the Volusia County Mosquito Control facility at 801 South St, New Smyrna Beach. The collection will go from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. The event will be open to all with proof of Volusia County residency. Each household is permitted to bring up to twenty residential tires which will then be disposed of properly, the Volusia County government says. Commercial tires will not be accepted. According to GLOBE Observer, tires can be hotbeds for mosquito breeding grounds as they accumulate pools of standing water.  Mosquitoes have been documented seeking out dark-colored and shaded areas to lay their eggs, and the leaves and grass which accumulate around the tires can be a food source for larvae when they hatch. Data from the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) state that the most common mosquito-borne illnesses in the United States are West Nile virus, Cache Valley virus, eastern equine encephalitis, and Jamestown Canyon virus among others. There have also been documented cases of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika in regions of the country including Florida. 79 deaths from West Nile alone were reported in 2022, according to Vector Disease Control International.