Mosquito management underway during potential uptick after storm

Reporter: Andrea Guerrero Writer: Jack Lowenstein
Published:
Credit: WINK News.

Besides a mess from standing water left behind from Elsa, another annoying problem are mosquitoes that can breed and multiply in the puddles.

Lee County Mosquito Control District is ready to manage mosquito populations after the storm.

“Mosquitoes are here year-round,” said Eric Jackson, the deputy director of Lee County Mosquito Control District. “We have times of the year where they’re more intense than the others.”

That time is now. Elsa left behind standing water, which could serve as a mosquito paradise.

Teams of nearly a 100 men and women are out there trying to find where these bugs and larvae could potentially start to call home.

“Just because you have water around you does not mean that you got a mosquito problem right now,” Jackson explained. “Once we see the larvae hatching, we can go treat them.”

Chief pilot Thurburn Botterill has been on the job 15 years. One constant on the job is the bugs are always around, so he’s always has a job to do.

“The county is broken up into five areas, and we have five pilots,” Botterill said. “And we have one pilot who goes with one inspector, and he’ll land multiple times, maybe even 20 times to go inspect the new water and see if there is larvae.”

To help the process, it’s recommended to get rid of anything that may be holding standing water near your home.

“Mosquitoes that grow right around our houses are mosquitoes that are capable of spreading disease,” Jackson said.

When mosquitoes are out in full force, don’t forget the bug spray.

We also spoke with mosquito control in Collier County. We were told the mosquito hots pots are – Naples, Port Royal and Park Shores.

In Lee County, it’s south Fort Myers and Pine Island.

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