How to win the summer battle against mosquitoes

Summer officially began on Sunday, and most of us are already battling one of Southwest Florida’s greatest nuisances: mosquitos.

In the twilight hours, they are unavoidable. But while the mosquitos seem really bad this year, is 2021 really different from years past?  According to a mosquito expert, the answer is no, not relatively speaking.

“I think in this case, when we get inundated with mosquitos at the start of the season, this happens every year, you start to think, ‘Man, has it been this bad?'” said Eric Jackson with the Lee County Mosquito Control District. “Yes. Yes it has.”

We are seeing a lot of them because we had a really dry spring, which gave the insects the chance to lay their eggs before the rainy season started. But now that they’ve spawned, what can we do to make sure mosquitos don’t come near our houses as much?

“One of the most important things that people can do here is what we call ‘source reduction,'” Jackson said. “Get rid of standing water that could be around your house. Simple things like flower pots that you might have around your house. Making sure your gutters are not clogged, where you could have water sitting in there, where mosquitos are growing. A water bowl for your pet that’s sitting outside. Making sure that water isn’t collecting is a good way to make sure mosquitoes do not grow around us.”

People who move to Florida are often told the two things they need to have on them at all times are water and sunscreen; Jackson says this is the time of year to add insect repellent to that list.