Community Corner

10 Tips on Controlling Mosquitoes from Hillsborough County Officials

Find out how to keep the pesky insects at bay

As Mosquito Control Awareness Week comes to an end today, Hillsborough County officials offered some helpful information to keep you itch-free during the rainy season.

From a county news release:

Hillsborough County would like to let its residents know about what it is doing year-around to protect them from the dangers of mosquitoes.

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The Hillsborough County Mosquito Control Unit provides mosquito control for the entire county including the cities, using a diversified fleet of vehicles, including a helicopter, airboats, trucks, and all-terrain vehicles to inspect for and fight mosquitoes. As part of its surveillance program, the Unit operates 15 sentinel chicken sites with 90 chickens, and 78 CDC mosquito surveillance traps strategically located throughout the county.

Since the beginning of this year, Hillsborough County Mosquito Control staff has:

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  • responded to more than 1,800 requests for service by residents. 
  • conducted more than 10,000 inspections by ground and 382 by air. As part of its inspections, staff looks for suitable mosquito breeding environments, standing water and adult mosquitoes. If mosquitoes or mosquito larvae are found to be present, additional actions are taken, such as larviciding (or killing mosquito larvae in standing water) or spraying for adult mosquitoes.
  • sprayed more than 205,000 acres with its trucks for a total of 154 missions, and more than 2,000 acres with its helicopter.
  • captured more than 321,000 mosquitoes with its mosquito surveillance traps, which are checked weekly for inspection and classification by its lab. 
  • set out additional traps and increased inspections and public education in affected areas after infected animals were identified. 

To request spraying or assistance from the Mosquito Control Unit, call (813) 635-5400.

For more information on the Hillsborough County Mosquito Control Unit and tips on preventing or reducing mosquitoes on your property, you also can visit the Mosquito Control website by going to www.hillsboroughcounty.org  and clicking on “Mosquito Control” in the A-Z Index.  On the Unit’s website you also can learn more about Integrated Pest Management, what equipment they use today, and where the Unit is and has sprayed.

Residents can also make a big difference in the amount of mosquitoes around their homes and biting their family members. 

Try these 10 mosquito-fighting tips from Hillsborough County Mosquito Control:

Prevent your swimming pool from becoming a breeding ground.

If you aren’t using your swimming pool, put a cover over it. Make sure the cover doesn’t sag and hold pools of rainwater, which can also provide a breeding ground. Another option is to stock the pool with fish, which will eat the mosquito larvae and prevent them from hatching off. Gambusia, or mosquito fish, are available to residents from Mosquito Control staff by calling 635-5400.

If you have bromeliad plants in your yard, regularly rinse them out with a garden hose.

Mosquito larvae need water to grow and evolve, and bromeliads are an excellent host. The average bromeliad can be expected to produce around a hundred mosquitoes per year. That may not seem like much, but if you have ten or twenty plants in your yard, that’s several thousand mosquitoes!

Protect your children from mosquitoes, especially at night.

Hot, sweaty children playing outdoors at night are like a glowing beacon to mosquitoes. Protect your children from irritating bites and the possibility of mosquito-borne illnesses by ensuring they cover exposed skin, and wear an insect repellent containing DEET.

Keep your rain gutters cleaned out.

Rain gutters can get clogged with leaves and debris, which impede the flow of water. Not only is that bad for your roof, it creates an ideal habitat for mosquito larvae, which need water to grow into adults.

Take special precautions at dusk.

Dusk is a mosquito’s favorite time to fly and bite. A good onshore breeze will keep the mosquitoes at bay, but if you haven’t got one, a portable fan will do the trick. Mosquitoes aren’t strong fliers, and air currents moving past you will keep the mosquitoes moving too. Remember also to wear long sleeves and insect repellent containing DEET.

Take special precautions in high mosquito areas.

Use head nets, long sleeves and long pants if you venture into areas with high mosquito populations, such as salt marshes.

Take special precautions when a warning is in effect.

If there is a mosquito-borne disease warning in effect, stay inside during the evening when mosquitoes are active.

Make sure window and door screens are "bug tight."

Check your screens periodically to make sure there are no holes and replace worn-out screens.

Get rid of mosquito-breeding containers.

Destroy or dispose of tin cans, old tires, buckets, unused plastic swimming pools or other containers that collect and hold water. Do not allow water to accumulate in the saucers of flowerpots, cemetery urns or in pet dishes for more than 2 days.

Prevent puddles in your yard.

Irrigate lawns and gardens carefully to get rid of water from standing for several days.

If you have tried these tips and are still having a mosquito problem around your home, you can call the County’s Mosquito Control and Aquatic Weed Unit at (813) 635-5400 to speak to a staff member.  They offer free on-site inspections to give suggestions, and may schedule treatment if it is found to be necessary as a result of the visit.

 


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