Mosquito invasion after multi-day downpour in Southwest Florida

There is a spike in the mosquito population in Southwest Florida, especially after the recent multiple-day downpour.

Mosquitos are laser-focused on the standing water found all over Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties.

After the first heavy rainfall of the Hurricane season, canals tend to overflow into yards and low-lying grass areas. What gets left behind is standing water.

So, the Lee County Mosquito Control is saying to remove any and all standing water to avoid a mosquito takeover.

“Now that the rain is finished, we are starting to see that those service calls have really picked up significantly, especially for the first time in 2024 that rain is really what triggers those eggs to hatch,” said Jen McBride, the communication director at Lee County Mosquito Control.

Hatch and multiply. It only takes a quick five to seven days for a mosquito egg to become a pesky flying adult.

“One of our employees will stand and count the number of adults that will tell us if we have an adult problem or not, and we have people going out every morning looking for larva, so we try to treat the larva first before they become an adult,” said McBride.

McBride explained that Lee County Mosquito Control received five times the number of service calls from the weekend of June 8 until Saturday, June 15.

“Any calls we get, those service calls, they tell us if we have a specific area that’s a problem, which helps us tremendously,” said McBride.

However, not everyone is seeing more mosquitos yet.

“Not lately, and I would expect it to be worse out here with all the water sitting out here, but no, it’s not as bad, but I’m not outside as much as I used to be. This is my first day walking outside in a month,” said Pat Mitchell, a Harlem neighborhood resident.

McBride said to make sure water isn’t collecting in potted plants, tires, or low-lying areas.

As another reminder, during the rainy season, dress properly and use bug spray in the early morning hours and late at night.