ORLANDO, Fl. – If you enjoy the outdoors, no matter the weather, you have probably noticed that mosquitoes are sucking the fun out of outdoor activities.
With the amount of rain across Central Florida lately, accompanied by the warmer-than-usual temperatures, it’s the perfect environment for them to continue to breed.
Florida is considered subtropical, so it’s the perfect paradise for mosquitoes. This summer we saw record-breaking temperatures and rainy days which aided in the rise in the mosquito population. In July and August, Central Florida was within the top ten warmest on record during those months.
Now that fall has begun, it’s still warmer than usual with the high humidity around and we’re getting more rain.
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“Mosquitoes will definitely be an issue going into the fall and winter months. During the fall season, there will definitely be enough heat and humidity if we stay on this trend for them to thrive,” Theressa Jones, the Mosquito Control Program Manager in Seminole County said.
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The male mosquitoes are not biters. They live off of nectar and help pollinate. The females are biters because they need a blood meal for their eggs.
There are four stages to the mosquito life cycle. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, those eggs hatch out into larvae. Then the larva will go into a pupate state where it’s not eating. It’ll stay dormant and grow and then become an adult. It takes between three to nine days depending on heat, humidity and water levels.
The mosquito season started earlier this year due to plenty of standing water from heavy rain and hurricanes last year, according to Jones.
The mosquito peak season begins at the end of July and lasts through September, sometimes until the end of October depending on the weather conditions, but it started earlier in Seminole County.
Seminole County got hit pretty hard at the end of June through August.
In Florida, believe it or not, there are over 82 species of mosquitoes and there are about 25-28 species in Seminole County alone.
Different mosquitoes carry different diseases. The most frequent viruses that are known are the West Nile virus, Zika, Dengue and yellow fever.
When the heat and humidity increased in late spring, the population skyrocketed. Due to an increase in the mosquito population, Jones said there has been a higher call volume for areas wanting to be sprayed.
Seminole County is growing and there are a lot of new residents in the area, according to Jones.
“Residents that are new to Florida are not aware of the normal mosquito activity so calls have increased in her department,” she said.
Jones said Mosquito Control Technicians just don’t just go out and spray because somebody asks. A technician would go out and inspect the area and try to find the habitat that’s breeding the site. That technician will treat the breeding habitat with larvicide at first to see if that will lead to mosquito suppression.
If it’s somewhere that can’t be reached, the larvae or the adult population is just too high, a fogging truck is sent out to spray at night.
Mosquitoes are most active during the day.
There are ways to protect yourself from mosquitoes because they carry diseases. If heading outside, use mosquito repellent. Cover up exposed skin while going out on hikes. If you have containers that hold water such as children’s toys, bird baths and wheelbarrows, be sure to drain or cover the container.
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