CENTRAL FLORIDA,None — The mosquito problem in Central Florida has reached a whole new level. Brevard County mosquito control workers said the bug population this summer is larger than its been in a decade.
Mosquito control experts are working days, nights and weekends in Brevard County neighborhoods due to recent rainfall. The mosquitoes have found plenty of dry areas to lay their eggs, and now that the water is here, the eggs are hatching.
Fight the bite, it's easier said than done this year, said Chris Richmond, Brevard Mosquito Control Biologist.
Richmond believes that when it comes to keeping the mosquito population in check, there are good years and bad years, and this is a bad year. Friday afternoon, WFTV shadowed a mosquito control team as they treated a newly discovered breeding ground.
We have to care because mosquitoes, particularly the ones that are pestiferous which are the ones that bother people, can travel up to 50 miles if the wind is right, said Richmond.
According to Richmond, it's a lot easier to use an insecticide to kill mosquito larvae than adult mosquitoes, and its also cheaper than an aerial assault. Right now, mosquito control is using both methods. In one square foot, there can be upwards of 10,000 mosquitoes together.
Neighboring Volusia County has seen its share of swarms in recent weeks. Seminole County has detected the West Nile Virus in its mosquito population. So far, that hasn't been the case in Brevard. But the mosquito population is two and a half times larger than you might expect in an average year.
On the back deck, I probably get three or four mosquitoes biting me at the same time, said resident James Lunn.
We're kind of at a stalemate now and we hope to get ahead very soon, said Richmond.
The only virus detected so far this year in Brevard Countys mosquito population is Equine Encephalitis. While that is not unusual, the county is no less concerned about disease control.
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