Florida’s rainy season is upon us, and Hernando County Mosquito
Control Manager Peter Taylor wants to remind residents to check their
homes, lawns and gardens to make sure they are not creating
mosquito-breeding sources. “Take a look around your yard and dump out
any standing water that has collected in flower pots, toys, lawn
furniture or any item that holds water, including ornamental plants,”
said Mr. Taylor. “Mosquitoes only need a quarter-inch of water to breed.
Clogged gutters or downspouts that retain water are also a mosquito
breeding ground.”
Certain types of mosquitoes can carry the West
Nile Virus, which can be deadly to humans and horses. According to the
Center for Disease Control, in 2012 there were 73 confirmed cases of
West Nile Virus in Florida, resulting in three deaths.
Hernando
County Mosquito Control uses several techniques including treating
standing water to kill mosquito larvae in DRA's (drainage retention
areas), ditches, ponds, creeks, canals, and swamps; placing
mosquito-eating fish in water bodies as biological control; placing
solid larvicides in the form of 6” long white tablets in breeding areas
throughout Hernando County. In order to ensure that applications are
effective in problem areas such as ditches, swales, culverts, retention
ponds and equalizers, citizens must be careful not to remove larvicides
from areas intended to control mosquito larvae. A good rule of thumb is:
If you don’t know what it is, it is wise not to touch it. These
applications, while harmless to humans, are deadly to mosquito larvae,
and will enable Mosquito Control to effectively control larval
mosquitoes before they emerge as adults.
In addition to the
larvicide techniques, spray trucks operate at night to kill adult
mosquitoes. If residents still have mosquitoes after checking their
property for standing water, they should call Mosquito Control for staff
to come to the area to inspect and treat for mosquito breeding.
Condemned
swimming pools from foreclosures, left without pumps running and cages
torn, have become a mosquito breeding paradise. Neighbors residing near
these pools are encouraged to contact the Mosquito Control Department so
that staff may treat the pool to eliminate the mosquito-breeding
source.
Residents should use mosquito repellent if they plan to
be outdoors both during the dawn and dusk hours. They should also wear
long sleeves and long pants in the evening. For more information,
please call Mosquito Control at (352) 540-6552, or check the Mosquito
Control website at: http://www.hernandocounty.us/mosquito/
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Protect Yourself Against Mosquitoes
at 8:00 PM
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