Pinellas Launches Mosquito Control Resource Tool

CLEARWATER, FL – While Memorial Day weekend may represent the unofficial start of the summer tourist season, it also marks the return of many unwanted guests to Pinellas County.

According to Pinellas county Mosquito Control, the agency receives its first high volume of service calls each year around the last week in May. This coincides with the holiday weekend when many people spend time outdoors and the beginning of seasonal rains.

In an effort to educate residents and promote public health and safety, officials from Pinellas County Mosquito Control and the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County announced it developed a new online tool that identifies local mosquito populations and offers prevention tips.

The website provides access to an interactive map of mosquito hot spots in the area and information about local resources. The tool is available at www.pinellascounty.org/mosquito.

As part of the website’s unveiling, Pinellas County Mosquito Control offered residents the following tips to reduce the mosquito population:

• Empty water from any item that can hold water (flower pots, garbage cans, recycling containers, wheelbarrows, aluminum cans, boat tarps, old tires and buckets)
• Flush birdbaths and wading pools weekly
• Flush ornamental bromeliads or treat with BTI, a biological lavricide available at home stores
• Change the water in outdoor pet dishes regularly
• Stock ornamental ponds with mosquito-eating fish
• Cover rain barrels with screening
• Check for standing water under houses, near plumbing drains, under air conditioner drip areas, around septic tanks and heat pumps

Technicians from Mosquito Control also said many local homes have items or areas that contain standing water – ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes – which contribute to the mosquito problem. Mosquito larvae only need a fraction of an inch of standing water to survive.

The county also recommends residents protect their skin from mosquito bites when outdoors by wearing mosquito repellent that contains DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus and wearing loose-fitting clothing with long sleeves and pants. These precautions can help prevent mosquito-borne diseases.

In 2016, Mosquito Control received more than 4,500 service requests from Pinellas County residents and businesses.

To request mosquito control services, call (727) 464-7503 or visit www.pinellascounty.org/reportanissue.

Image via U.S. Department of Agriculture, Flickr, used under Creative Commons