This is a guest blog post from Larue’s Director of Business Relations, Marin Asher.
Lee County Mosquito Control – We Appreciate You!
Living in Southwest Florida, we’re fortunate to have tax dollars that are dedicated to monitoring and controlling the Mosquito populations in what is most definitely prime breeding grounds for them. I have family members who live in another state where no such control exists and they say that it can be quite unbearable outside during the summer.
Last week I spotted a Lee County Mosquito Control truck pulled over near a path that followed a small winding creek. I decided to stop and take a moment to learn more about who was helping ensure my neighborhood is protected… and also get their predictions for how bad the mosquitoes will be this summer.
I started down the path and soon met up with Billy. I couldn’t have asked for a friendlier person out there protecting my family from mosquitoes! Billy has worked for Lee County Mosquito Control for many years and actually comes from a family who used to own a pest control business in Fort Myers, Florida.
He informed me that he was disappointed to find five large mosquito pupae when he sampled the water near my home. He said his guess was that they would turn into full grown mosquitoes overnight. I asked if they would be sending out a helicopter to spray the area and he said no, not yet.
The goal of helicopter is to treat key breeding grounds and break the mosquito cycle during the egg or larva stage. Once they hit the pupa stage, the helicopters are ineffective at killing them. Although he discovered five pupae in the water samples, he said in peek rainy season, he’s swiped up thousands at a time!
When adult mosquito numbers rise in populated neighborhoods, that’s when the mosquito truck is sent out to drive up and down streets controlling them. But the goal is always to reduce their numbers before they have a chance to fly.
Billy explained that the mosquitoes in the area where we were standing were saltwater marsh mosquitoes (a type of Aedes mosquito) and were very aggressive. They instinctively know to find low lying ground that will collect and maintain water for their eggs to live. These mosquitoes love standing water, so they don’t breed in area where water is moving. While we haven’t had much rain at all this winter, there has been a combination of high tides and wind that has pushed water into low lying areas all along the coast, giving mosquitoes ample space to breed. Billy’s prediction was that we may start to see the mosquito populations rise sooner than normal this year.
I knew the answer, but just had to ask if there was ANYTHING he could do about no-see’ums or deer flies, but that remains out of their control. One suggestion he did have for anyone living near a small pond was to add small minnows that eat mosquito and no-see’um larvae. What a great idea! There are plenty of resources online for finding the perfect fish to add to your standing water.
Do you enjoy spending time outside, but can’t stand dealing with mosquitoes?
Larue Pest Management offers two mosquito control services in Fort Myers, Naples and their surrounding areas:
- Mosquito Abatement (a once a month lawn and shrub spray)
- MistAway Mosquito Misting System
Both provide homeowners with a ton of relief from mosquitoes. We actually have clients who live on the water, surrounded by mangroves, without a pool screen enclosure that enjoy their pool all year long!
I’m glad to have met Billy and was able to share our conversation with you! I want to thank him for taking the time and I speak for everyone at Larue when I say that we appreciate the good work Lee County Mosquito Control does in Southwest Florida!
Interested in learning more about Larue’s Mosquito Control Services? Call (800) 314-8813 or schedule a FREE INSPECTION online.
Download our FREE eBook 7 Things You Need to Know about Southwest Florida Mosquitoes!
The post Lee County Mosquito Control – We Appreciate You! appeared first on Pest Control Services for Life.
