Drought creates perfect conditions for mosquito explosion

LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. (WINK) — Southwest Florida’s rainy season may be arriving right on schedule. Still, mosquito control officials say months of drought conditions could actually make this year’s mosquito season worse.

Lee County Mosquito Control District says recent dry conditions, combined with incoming king tides and daily rain chances, are creating the perfect setup for large mosquito hatchings across Southwest Florida.

While many people assume drought conditions reduce mosquitoes, officials say aggressive salt marsh mosquitoes behave differently.

“The drought creates more egg banks,” Jenifer McBride, communications director for Lee County Mosquito Control District, said. “When that high tide comes or that rainy season starts, then they are all being released at once.”

Unlike many mosquito species that lay eggs directly in standing water, salt marsh mosquitoes lay eggs in moist soil. During drought conditions, water evaporates away, creating more exposed habitat where mosquitoes continue laying eggs over time.

Now, with the rainy season beginning to ramp up, mosquito control crews say those stored eggs could begin hatching in large numbers.

The district says last year brought “unprecedented” mosquito numbers tied to similar weather patterns.

“Last year we saw unprecedented numbers,” McBride said. “It was a tremendous prolific number of mosquitoes, and that was because of the drought and that salt marsh mosquito.”

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To prepare, Lee County Mosquito Control is already increasing helicopter pretreatment operations along coastal areas and marsh habitats.

The low-flying helicopters have become a common sight across parts of Lee County, and officials say they often receive concerned calls from neighbors and even pilots questioning the aircraft activity.

“We have to fly low,” McBride said. “We have special permission from the FAA, otherwise we wouldn’t hit the target of the mosquito.”

The district says those helicopters are typically targeting mosquito larvae before they become biting adults. Officials say about 75% of operations focus on larviciding, or treating mosquitoes during their early life cycle.

Crews say they are using a larvicide product called Natular, which contains a naturally derived bacterium-based active ingredient known as spinosad. According to product information provided by the manufacturer, the treatment is designed to break down quickly in sunlight and water and is considered low-risk to people, pets, fish and pollinators when used properly.

Mosquito control officials say the timing of treatments is heavily driven by weather conditions and mosquito activity.

“We are driven by data,” McBride said. “If there is a mosquito issue, then that’s when we treat.”

Officials say summer conditions also allow mosquitoes to develop quickly, sometimes going from egg to biting adult in as little as five days.

The district says residents can help reduce mosquito activity around their own homes by removing standing water from buckets, flower pots, tires and gutters. Even something as small as a bottle cap filled with water can become a breeding area for mosquitoes.