Mosquito control boundaries expanding in Collier County

Reporter: Haley Zarcone
Published: Updated:
Mosquito

More land and more dead mosquitoes.

New boundaries have been established for the Collier Mosquito Control District, the first expansion in over 20 years.

This is going to help people enjoy the outdoors without being bugged.

Mosquito (CREDIT: WINK News)

This fall, areas of Collier County that haven’t had treatment for these pesky mosquitos will start to feel some relief.

The coast has had treatment for years, but with other parts of the county growing, they need some reinforcements to stop the bugs inland.

The Collier Mosquito Control District said this is the first time in 20 years that district boundaries have changed, thanks to House Bill 509, recently signed by Governor Ron Desantis.

mosquito
CREDIT: Collier Mosquito Control District

If you live in the green, you’ve had mosquito treatments for years, but people in the yellow areas have had to deal with these pests on their own.

Communities like Golden Gate, Orange Tree, Ave Maria and Ports of the Islands can expect to see help on the way this fall.

More than just a nuisance, the executive director of the Collier Mosquito Control District, Patrick Linn, said these mosquitos are also a health concern.

“We have the types of mosquitoes that can carry these diseases in abundance, especially during the summer months when it’s really warm and there’s a lot of rain, so our our goal is to watch the numbers of the disease-carrying mosquitoes and also to test them for disease, work with the health department,” Linn said.

Linn said living in Florida, mosquitos are a year-round pest, but they get worse in the rainy season
this bill is helping to add 30,000 more homes to the control district.

That number includes room for more growth in the eastern parts of Collier County.

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