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Mosquitoes, much like tourists, enjoy all that Miami-Dade County has to offer all year long. With average temperatures hovering in the 80s and plenty of rainfall May through October, the native species, as well as the invasive ones, live and thrive here no matter the season.
These facts are the main reasons why the Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control and Habitat Management Division conducts surveillance and abatement efforts on a year-round basis, and is also what drives the continual public information and outreach efforts. The division advises residents and visitors alike to drain and cover: drain any standing rain or irrigation water found to prevent mosquito breeding, and cover exposed skin with repellent or clothing to prevent mosquito bites.
Mosquito Control offers some very specific advice on how to limit backyard breeding, and protect yourself and your loved ones from bites. Some of it includes:
• Discard any unused items in your yard that may catch water;
• Clear out rain gutters to ensure smooth flow and drainage;
• Check for leaky faucets and A/C units that may be pooling water;
• Protect boats and cars with tarps that don’t accumulate water;
• Fill in tree holes or stumps with sand;
• Remove weeds and trim overgrown brush;
• Place larvicide dunks made from Bti in ponds or fountains;
• Use granular Bti in bromeliads;
• Cover windows, doors, and porches with screens, and ensure they are in a good state of repair, and
• Use mosquito repellent containing DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR-3535.
Operationally, Mosquito Control keeps a watchful eye on the mosquito numbers by employing a system of more than 300 traps set throughout the county on a weekly basis. A team of environmental techs retrieves trap catches and resets the traps, while a staff of lab techs and biologists counts, sorts, and logs the findings by zip code into a database.
This information, combined with resident complaints and requests for service coming through the county’s 311 Contact Center, and mosquito-borne illness reports from the Florida Department of Health, informs decisions on where to provide manual and truck spray treatments. Furthermore, part of the team also rears mosquitoes in-house for the purpose of conducting pesticide-resistance testing, ensuring that the mosquitoes in our community are not developing a tolerance to the substances in use.
A team of nearly 30 inspectors stands ready to visit homes and businesses throughout Miami-Dade. These licensed professionals are trained to look for mosquito breeding and are equipped to eliminate any they find. They can also get rid of any adult mosquitoes they find flying around by using backpack or hand-held spray units.
The division keeps a highly active presence on social media @305Mosquito on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. It also conducts virtual and, when safe distancing permits, in-person education outreach sessions.
Miami-Dade residents wishing to learn more or who would like to report a mosquito nuisance issue online are encouraged to visit miamidade.gov/mosquito.
