By: Teahna Ratliff, Entomologist
With the recent rain events here in South Walton, residents have become concerned with the influence of nuisance mosquitoes. There are a few species of mosquitoes, we call Floodwater species. These mosquitoes usually show up about 2 weeks after a big rain event and continue to show up in our traps until the end of summer. This gives them plenty of time to lay more eggs for the following year.
Floodwater mosquitoes lay their eggs in the soil of lower areas of land that will hold water after a rain event. These eggs are laid individually, by the hundreds, and can lay dormant for 3 years. Once water is introduced, it causes large amounts of mosquitoes to emerge all at once. Some prefer dry woodland pools, ditches, grassy fields, or farmlands which make them difficult to control. Due to the variety of habitats of these mosquitoes, our best defense is county wide larvicide missions. This is when the mosquito control trucks will treat ditches and any area, they can reach from the roadside with a truck mounted hose and treatment to kill mosquitoes in their immature phase.
As the adults emerge, there are many reasons they become so apparent to us for a few weeks after a rain event. For one, they are aggressive people biters. They prefer blood meals from mammals, including livestock and people. They will stay close to the areas where they have access to these blood meals, usually resting in a shaded area. Second, they are mainly active during the day, which is when most people are outside and being bitten. Even though there is an influx of mosquitoes, the floodwater species are not considered an “important vector” species meaning they do not normally pass mosquito-borne diseases to people.
They are also difficult to control as adults, due to their most active time being during the day. Mosquito controls in Florida do not treat with adulticide trucks during the day for a few reasons, unless there is a public health emergency. One main reason is to protect pollinators. Another reason is during the day, heat makes the adulticide treatment lighter and will make it float away. There is a temperature inversion at dusk and dawn that holds the products closer to the ground and allows our treatments to do what they are designed to do.
The best defense against the day-time biters is to practice the 5 D’s of protection against mosquitoes:
Drain – Many mosquito problems in your neighborhood are likely to come from water that you, the resident, can help to eliminate. All mosquitoes need water in which to breed. Be sure to drain any standing water around your house.
Dress – Wear light-colored, loose-fitting clothing. Many of the 176 mosquito species are attracted to dark clothing and some can bite through tight-fitting clothes. When practical, wear long sleeves and pants.
Dusk to Dawn – Avoid mosquito mealtimes— early evening to early morning hours. If at all possible, avoid outdoor activities during these times.
Defend – Choose a mosquito repellent that has been registered by the Environmental Protection Agency, such as DEET, Picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus. Registered products have been reviewed, approved, and pose minimal risk for human safety when used according to label directions.
Visit our website at, www.southwaltonmosquitocontrol.org or follow us on Facebook at, South Walton Mosquito District for more information.
Author: Sowal Editor
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