NAPLES, Fla. — It's been about a week since Collier County saw between 10 and 30 inches in a weeks' time. That’s also how long it takes for mosquitos to hatch.
Fox 4 Meteorologist Andrew Shipley and visited the Collier Mosquito Control District to learn about how they are handling the influx of mosquitoes.
“We are seeing a lot of saltwater mosquitoes done along the coast.” said Decyo McDuffie, Field Validation Manager. “We are also getting a lot more freshwater mosquitoes in the inland areas as well”
According to Collier Mosquito Control District, the flooding rains in Southwest Florida last week made for perfect breeding ground for the pest.
“Anywhere from 5 to 7 days after a rain you will see large blooms of mosquitoes, so yes, the numbers will be little higher,” said McDuffie.
While seeing an influx, McDuffie says it's the freshwater mosquitoes they are watch more closely for disease borne illnesses.
“Our saltwater mosquitoes are more of a nuisance mosquito,” said McDuffie. “So, not much disease there. For our flood water species, you can see different things like West Nile Virus and Dengue Virus spread.”
This more concerning given Florida's recent history.
“In Florida, we are seeing more cases of Eastern Equine Encecephalitis as well as Dengue Virus,” said McDuffie.
Eastern Equine Encecephalitis (Triple E), Dengue and West Nile all can cause severe health risks. Triple E, while rare, was found in Pasco County, north of Tampa, in May, which carries high mortality rate. Thankfully none of these have been found here
