Gulf County Mosquito Control

Gulf County Mosquito Control (GCMC) has provided a detailed mosquito surveillance program for the county since 2006.  Required justification and record keeping for Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) must be obtained before use of Adulticide for adult mosquito control.  GCMC must provide proof mosquitoes are breeching a set threshold before we can use the white spray trucks with the little yellow lights. Using Center for Disease Control (CDC) Light Traps, we monitor daily, weekly and monthly mosquito populations at designated sites around the county and keep extensive records of what we’ve caught.  Reduced budget amounts have led to a reduction in the total number of sites with traps although we still have enough to use them for their intended purpose.

With recorded historical light trap data dated back to April 17, 2006, we have found that used in conjunction with historical rain data and current and predicted rain data and ambient temperature, we can form relative scenarios for upcoming mosquito outbreaks.  Obviously, this is not fool proof nor can it be totally inclusive of every situation, but it is an educated guess backed up with factual, scientific historical data.  Without the use of a “mosquito radar” similar to the ones you would find on the evening weather showing a “mosquito front” moving across the country, this prediction of a sizable mosquito population increase is determined solely on what has happened in the past. 

Typically, there is a segment of the spring where mosquito populations rise to a noticeable above average level.  Mosquito populations seem to have their biggest decline during the summer. It is the late summer going into fall time frame when we have historically seen the highest numbers of adult mosquitoes caught in the CDC Light Traps.  From 2006-2009, the highest mosquito population numbers have been from week 34-42 or roughly August 21-October 19.  The actual numbers caught in a one week period range from lowest in the 41st week of 2008 (5,214) to highest in the 42nd week of 2007 (9,854).  The mid-range numbers of the highest caught during the year fall in the 34th week of 2006 (6,804) and in the 38th week of 2009 (7,852).  There were a total of (11) weeks during 2006 when mosquito numbers totaled over 1,000 per week, (6) weeks during 2007, (9) weeks during 2008 and (15) weeks during 2009.  The data goes on and on but to spare you the boredom of numbers, over the last four years there has been a window of time when the numbers continue to peak.  We are in the 32st week of the year now which means we are rapidly approaching that window.  We must prepare now if we’re to change history.

Educating the public about mosquitoes and their life cycle is crucial to reducing the overall population.  Reducing the habitat for these blood sucking, viral transmitting menaces of the night is a responsibility of the entire community.  Through education, information is disclosed that may have never been thought of.  Citizens’ doing their part to provide a better quality of living through a suppressed level of potentially dangerous insects is a goal we should all strive to achieve.  Increased public health is directly linked to simple tasks that can be accomplished thru minimal efforts of concerned civilians. 

Minimizing standing water on and around your residence can substantially impact the number of adult mosquitoes that hatch off in the coming days.  Mosquitoes can go from egg to adult in less than one week in the right conditions.  So the clock is ticking! By periodically making rounds through your yard, dumping out any and everything that is holding water, you have just helped yourself and your neighbors in a quarter-mile radius.  Just think of the positive results if everyone was doing the same thing! For more information on what you can do to help curtail the nuisance and dangers of biting adult mosquitoes, you can contact our office at the address below. I would like to hear about your success in helping us and your neighbors.

We choose to live in Florida so let’s make a choice to make it an even better place to live!

Mark Cothran

Director, Gulf County Mosquito Control

mcothran@gulfcounty-fl.gov

850-227-1401