Collier mosquito control working to reduce pesky problem

The Collier Mosquito Control District is working to fight a growing number of mosquitoes amid rainy season.

The district planned to spray early Wednesday morning across parts of the county, but heavy rain and storms forced them to postpone treatments until Thursday morning.

“We have a saying, ‘No water. No mosquitoes.’ But we don’t have any control over the tides or the weather, and when spring high tides come in, there are certain biological cues that cue the mosquitoes to hatch and become adults,” said Patrick Linn, executive director at the mosquito control district.

The district has been working to reduce the pesky problem by catching and testing 40 different types of mosquitoes, catching about 10,000 in one trap.

“We will pull the trap out and now we’re ready to speciate them, and as you can see, it’s freezing,” said Dr. Keira Lucas, director of research at the mosquito control district.

Experts dump the mosquitoes and separate them by species. They tally up the mosquitoes and use the information to decide how and where to best treat them.

“We can relay to director of operations how many of each mosquito is out there, and that will give him the type of habitat they’re coming from, and the risk of disease. Then he will decide on the kind of treatment,” Lucas said.

Experts advise residents to reduce standing water around their home and property.

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