Peak mosquito season hits Collier County hard, crews work nonstop

NAPLES, Fla. (WINK)—Collier Mosquito Control District says crews have been working around the clock to keep mosquito swarms in check.

The district has received more than 1,500 service requests in just the past week. Their phones are ringing, their inboxes are filling up and their crews are busier than ever.

The spike in complaints isn't necessarily surprising. This is peak mosquito season, and these aren't the kind of mosquitoes that wait for sunset.

They can bite morning, noon and night. The district began ramping up surveillance efforts back in April.

Since then, crews have been treating mosquito larvae on the ground with larvicide while aircraft and helicopters target adult mosquitoes from above. The district says all their treatments are EPA-approved, so they are considered safe for the environment and effective on mosquitoes.

"It's really important for people to understand many of these mosquitoes are coming from the extensive public conservation lands, so they are coming from the Everglades, they're coming from 10,000 islands, Rookery Bay, and they migrate on the wind as far as 60 miles, which is why we see so many coming into Naples," said Keira Lucas of Collier Mosquito Control District.

The district says if mosquitoes are taking over your yard, don't just swat and suffer. Residents can submit a mosquito report through the district's website or request a field technician to investigate a problem area.