SANIBEL, Fla. — While global mosquito-borne illnesses surge—including a record rise in dengue and the emergence of sloth fever—Southwest Florida’s Lee County Mosquito Control District wants residents to be aware and prepared. For example, Florida alone has reported nearly 800 dengue cases this year, more than double the count of the second-highest state, California.
But for all the efforts aimed at controlling mosquitoes, some residents still have one pressing question: Why not spray for no-see-ums?
According to the District, it comes down to both biology and the law. The tiny biting midges, known as no-see-ums, may leave travelers and locals itching for relief, but they don’t present the same public health risks mosquitoes do.
“We get actually a lot of calls for noseeums,” said Jennifer McBride, Communications Director at the Lee County Mosquito Control District. “It is not a public health factor. So we are actually driven by legislature that basically says we’re protecting public health, and the noseeums don’t carry anything that’s public health risk.”
Unlike mosquitoes, which can transmit dangerous diseases like dengue—a major concern as global numbers continue to rise—no-see-ums are not known to spread illnesses in Southwest Florida. That distinction is crucial because it determines what the District is legally mandated to control. Mosquito management is required by law, but no-see-um control is not.
There’s also the issue of how to effectively treat them. While mosquitoes can often be managed at the larval stage, no-see-ums are different. McBride explained that they burrow into the soil, making larval treatments essentially impossible. Pesticides approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can’t be applied deep into the soil where no-see-um larvae hide.
That leaves only adult treatments as an option. But because no-see-ums emerge in massive numbers, controlling them at the adult stage would require near-constant spraying. Such intensive efforts would be both environmentally unsound and cost-prohibitive. Given that these tiny pests pose no disease threat, such measures aren’t justified.
“There really is no effective way to treat noseeums,” McBride said. “If we had to wait to treat them at the adult stage, we wouldn’t really be able to effectively control them here.”
For residents and visitors frustrated by the itching, personal protection remains the best defense. The District recommends EPA-approved repellents, long sleeves and pants, and even something as simple as an outdoor fan—since no-see-ums, being weak fliers, struggle against a breeze.
If you develop flu-like symptoms after traveling abroad, she advises contacting a doctor since early treatment is key. As for no-see-ums, while they may ruin a pleasant evening on the porch, their bites won’t bring disease—and that’s exactly why the Lee County Mosquito Control District doesn’t spray for them.
