Sandra Fisher, Hernando County Mosquito Control Director spoke to the Brooksville City Council about the upcoming mosquito season and what types of control methods are being used.
Fisher stated that the mission of Hernando County’s Mosquito control is to enhance quality of life for residents throughout the county by reducing mosquito populations through integrated pest management. She explained that surveillance, control, source reduction, and public education are essential parts of integrated pest management.
In surveillance the county uses traps and sentinel chickens to track populations and different species. Ms. Fisher stated that there are 40 different species in Florida and thousands across the globe. They perform surveillance on a weekly basis.
Landing rate counts are completed three times per week in which a technician becomes a human guinea pig. The technician will stand there with arms outstretched and record the number of mosquitoes that land on him or her in one minute. There are 30 landing rate locations throughout the county.
Ms. Fisher explained how the mosquito traps work. Dry ice in the cooler of the trap is expelled as CO2 gas. A plume of CO2 around the trap attracts mosquitoes and they are sucked into the trap using a fan. Mosquitoes are taken back to the lab, identified and counted. Ms. Fisher stated that this gives a good idea of what populations are like. There are 16 CDC trap locations in the county.
Sentinel chickens are also used in surveillance and this is essential to identifying mosquito born illnesses that may be present. There are 5 coops throughout the county. Blood specimens are collected from the chickens every Monday. The samples are sent to the Tampa lab and are tested for diseases such as Eastern Equine Encephalitis, St. Louis Encephalitis, and West Nile Virus.
Ms. Fisher described the inspections of ditches for mosquito larvae. If larvae are found, they will treat it. She stated that there is a database system that tracks all breeding sites and treatment sites. This provides a log of what was used and when they need to return to treat the area again.
The control methods involve larvicide or adulticide. Ms. Fisher explained that the most effective way to control mosquito populations is when mosquitoes are in the aquatic larval stages. This is because they are all in one place. Retention areas and areas with standing water are treated when larvae are found. The sprayers are used as a last resort to treat adult mosquitos. Where they spray is determined by the traps and landing rates. It is much less effective than larvicide. The county will also provide mosquito fish to property owners who have fairly stable standing bodies of water. The mosquito fish feast on mosquito larva and reproduce quickly which make them an effective, environmentally friendlier and cheaper alternative to chemical treatment.
The source reduction aspect of integrated pest management focuses on eliminating standing water sources for the larval stages. Ms. Fisher stated that their inspectors have licenses to remove waste tires or they hire contractors to take them away. They encourage residents to turnover anything that holds more than a teaspoon of water because even that small amount can breed mosquitoes. Ms. Fisher also emphasized that certain species of plants actually attract mosquitoes. Bromeliads hold water which keeps plants moist but will breed mosquitoes. Additionally, there are two species of mosquitoes that will attach to water hyacinth to breed. Trolling waterways will reduce mosquitoes in those areas. Other aquatic plants that attract mosquitoes include duckweed, water lettuce and cattails. They will also treat other non mosquito related nuisance aquatic plants such as water lily and hydrilla.
Ms. Fisher said that Hernando County Mosquito Control participates in public education and outreach through events, information postings on facebook and their website, classroom presentations as well as hands on presentations at their facility. They also have an open house in the off season.
You can reach the Hernando County Mosquito Control Department at 352-540-6552 They are located at 15400 Wiscon Rd., Brooksville, Florida 34601. For useful information on mosquito control visit their website at http://www.hernandocounty.us/mosquito/