It\u2019s been an unorthodox season for the Lee County Mosquito Control District.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mother Nature hasn\u2019t brought consistent rain until recently, and then, a salt marsh mosquito issue coming out of Estero Bay brought large numbers of insects.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTypically we treat that, and that state was requiring an interlocal agreement with Fort Myers Beach Mosquito Control,\u201d said LCMCD spokesperson Jenifer McBride. \u201cSo until we could get that signed and go in and treat, because they\u2019re not able to treat that area, we were seeing a lot of the salt marsh mosquitoes, especially around the coastal area.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
McBride said as the two districts came to an agreement, salt marsh mosquitoes became an issue and were impacting citizens in Lee County, including those in south Cape Coral.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe salt marsh mosquito is really why we have all of the aerial equipment we do,\u201d she said. \u201cThe good news is, now that we\u2019ve gotten the rain, the salt marsh mosquito actually gets better, because they lay their eggs in the moist soil instead of the water. So once we get the areas flooded, the salt marsh mosquitoes are not as much of a problem. But now, we\u2019re starting to see the inland mosquitoes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another issue that has not yet, and hopefully won\u2019t, plague Lee County is the presence of the Dengue fever in the state. LCMCD personnel were in Hillsborough County on Wednesday assisting with the outbreak of virus in the Tampa area. McBride said there have been 170 cases in Hillsborough County thus far, a number that hasn\u2019t been seen in 50 years. There has been one death.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been on extra alert making sure we\u2019re still monitoring that backyard mosquito that lives in everybody\u2019s backyard, and making sure that we don\u2019t have those viruses in Lee County,\u201d McBride said. \u201cIt\u2019s just been a very unusual summer.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Thus far, Lee County has only seen \u201ctravelers\u201d cases of Dengue, meaning an individual went somewhere, came back, and experienced symptoms. McBride said many reports have been of people that have gone to places such as Puerto Rico or Cuba.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The health department does notify LCMCD of these cases, and then the district goes right into to trapping to see if mosquitoes in the county are carrying the virus.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do extra layers of treatment just to try to get that mosquito out and break the cycle before it becomes localized,\u201d she said. \u201cThere have been no local cases like we\u2019re seeing in Hillsborough. But, we\u2019re pretty lucky. We have all of the tools to do disease monitoring before it gets to humans, which a lot of the counties don\u2019t have. We\u2019re being extra vigilant.\u201d<\/p>\n
LCMCD methods of mosquito control includes four main strategies: prevention, source reduction, larviciding, and adulticiding. Prevention and source reduction \u2014 like removing standing water \u2014 are the most effective. Larviciding targets immature mosquitoes in water, while adulticiding is a last resort used at night to minimize harm to other insects.<\/p>\n
LCMCD officials state that larviciding targets mosquitoes in their larval stage while they\u2019re still in water, preventing them from becoming flying, biting adults. Adulticiding targets mosquitoes that are active and flying and is typically done in the early evening when mosquito activity increases and populations exceed thresholds set by the state.<\/p>\n
McBride said there is a lot of science that goes into mosquito control, it\u2019s not just going around dumping chemicals in places that need treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s so far from the truth,\u201d she said. \u201cWe actually have very few chemicals to treat with, rightfully so. We\u2019re highly regulated by the EPA and have to be safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe set traps. We\u2019re out every day, boots on the ground. We\u2019re checking the water, doing adult counts. We look at our citizens\u2019 reports to see where we are getting calls from. We\u2019re a countywide service. We have to meet a threshold in order to do any kind of treatment. We want to make sure we are protecting the environment. We\u2019re not a pesticide company. We\u2019re protecting public health for the county.\u201d<\/p>\n
The county also uses sentinel chickens, with 18 coops around the area, to test their blood for any potential virus that mosquitoes may be carrying.<\/p>\n
As for the presence of salt water marsh mosquitoes, residents may not realize the vast amount of land in the county that falls under that designation. Lee County is one of the most prolific mosquito breeding habitats in the world due to its 56,000 acres of salt marsh. The combination of a vast coastline, flat terrain and subtropical climate supports year-round salt marsh mosquito production, LCMCD officials state, adding that on Sanibel Island, egg densities have been recorded as high as 45,000 per square foot.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Salt water marsh mosquitoes) can travel about 20 miles away from where it\u2019s breeding,\u201d McBride said. \u201cAnd what we\u2019ve done is we\u2019ve developed right to the edge of the salt marsh area, so it\u2019s still affecting a good percentage of our residents, especially in the coastal areas.\u201d<\/p>\n
What the majority of Lee County residents interact with are Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are backyard mosquitoes and the ones that carry Dengue.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWith Aedes aegypti, the most important thing to know about it is the relationship with humans that most don\u2019t realize,\u201d McBride said. \u201cIt is going to breed in your backyard. If you\u2019re getting bit by Aedes aegypti, you\u2019re probably the breeder of it in your own backyard.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to LCMCD officials, to reduce mosquitoes on your property, remove standing water where mosquitoes lay eggs, such as in buckets, birdbaths, gutters, old tires, and bromeliads. Trim grass and shrubs to eliminate resting spots. Use window and door screens, and place fans in outdoor areas to deter them. EPA-approved repellents can also help protect you from bites.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we\u2019re talking about (mosquitoes that carry disease), we\u2019re talking about mosquitoes that like to be around people such as Aedes aegypti,\u201d McBride said. \u201cThe rest of them that we control, they\u2019re not necessarily near people. They\u2019re not picky about their blood meal. Aedes aegypti are picky. They like human blood.\u201d<\/p>\n
McBride said there are 54 species of mosquitoes in Lee County, though the district only controls 10 of them, \u201cbecause the rest of them, they don\u2019t take human blood \u2026 We control and not eradicate.\u201d<\/p>\n
LCMCD officials state both adults and larvae serve as a food source for birds, bats, amphibians and aquatic predators. They also help pollinate plants while feeding on nectar. While they\u2019re often seen as pests, mosquitoes are part of a larger ecosystem that supports biodiversity.<\/p>\n
For more information on LCMCD or to make a report, visit leecountymcdfl.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n