Miami-Dade County mosquito control tips for springtime

As the peak mosquito season approaches this year and in the midst of the changes brought on by the coronavirus, the Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control & Habitat Management Division advises residents to continue to Fight the Bite and Drain and Cover. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mosquitoes are not a transmitter of the coronavirus (COVID—19). However, their bites can be annoying and potentially spread dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever, thus necessitating year-round precautionary measures.

You do not need one more thing to worry about during these challenging times.

 “We maintain that the best way to control mosquitoes is to limit the opportunities they have to breed,” says Dr. William Petrie, division director. “Practicing source reduction around your home or business means getting rid of objects that may collect standing water and thus promulgate breeding: broken appliances, old tires, and unused planters. It also means checking carefully for cryptic sites like clogged rain gutters, hard-to-reach tree holes, and water pooling on roofs.” Hence, the “drain” part of the messaging.

“Cover” quite simply refers to covering exposed skin with a United States Department of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered mosquito repellent that contains one of the following as an active ingredient: DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR-3535. It also means covering up your skin with long-sleeved tops, pants, socks and hats, as well as doors, windows, and outdoor seating areas with fine mesh screens.

Using the larvicide Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis), a naturally-occurring and EPA-registered compound, in your garden’s bromeliads in granular form, prevents breeding from occurring in them. To stop breeding in bird baths and fish ponds, we recommend using it in briquette or dunk form.

The Mosquito Control team surveils a network of more than 180 mosquito traps set throughout the County on a weekly basis, and also conducts truck larviciding missions, which are augmented as soon as the rainy season kicks into high gear. To find out when and where these missions will occur, navigate here.

The division also responds to resident inspection requests year-round. There are three ways to request a mosquito inspection of your home or business: call 311, click www.miamidade.gov/311direct or download and use the all-new Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management mobile app for Android.

To learn more about Miami-Dade County’s Mosquito Control program, visit www.miamidade.gov/mosquito.

###

Like the Mosquito Control Division Facebook page here: www.Facebook.com/305Mosquito; follow @305Mosquito on Twitter and Instagram.