Charlotte County schedules mosquito sprays for neighborhoods with high concentrations

It’s not mosquito season, but the annoying pests are already taking over one neighborhood in Charlotte County. County officials and WINK News Weather Authority say neighbors can blame the weather for it all. Now, the county is taking steps to deal with the problem.

Mosquitos have been a problem at the South Gulf Cove community in the month of February, but recently scheduled sprays by Charlotte County will help to eradicate the pests near neighbors’ homes.

“You’ve got half a dozen mosquitoes on one arm. That’s a lot,” neighbor Milton Sayre said. “They are everywhere.”

Neighbors said they are especially bad in their backyards.

“Particularly when you get near the canals,” neighbor Dave Trost said.

Trost said the bugs are unmanageable and pose an aggravating nuisance.

“You don’t want to go outside very long without spray on because, otherwise, you’re going to get eaten alive,” Trost said.

The county’s public works department calls this an atypical year for mosquito control and blames the unusual peak on severe storms a few weeks ago.

The wind pushed saltwater onto the mangrove flats, with the standing water-attracting egg-laying mosquitoes. Now, those eggs are hatching.

“We have the rain, no consistent cold snaps, a lot of that warm air,” WINK News Meteorologist Brooke Silverang said. “Those are the breeding ground for mosquitoes to just lay their eggs.”

The county must focus on tackling the issue with boots on the ground. Its aerial-spraying chopper is undergoing maintenance since this is typically the slow season.

“We’d like to see some relief,” Trost said.

Crews spent the weekend spraying a few Charlotte County neighborhoods, including South Gulf Cove. No sprays were scheduled Monday. Visit the Charlotte County website monitor mosquito spray schedules and more.

Neighbors of South Gulf Cove should see the county improvements take effect any day now.

“I’d like to see much less mosquito population,” Sayre said.

MORE: Charlotte County Mosquito Treatment Schedule