Mosquitoes

As mosquito season keeps buzzing away, so do serious illnesses like dengue fever, which has affected nearly three hundred Floridians this year alone.

Collier County Mosquito Control will be distributing free mosquito fish and traps Saturday at North Collier Regional Park.The fish, Gambusia mosquitofish, are small but can eat up to 100 mosquito larvae a day. Since the program started in 2019, the District has given out more than 23,000 fish.

After cases of malaria were found this year in Sarasota County, experts on Tuesday pointed to a continuing need in Florida to combat mosquito-borne illnesses as rain from Hurricane Idalia has increased breeding grounds for the insects.

The population of mosquitos is growing along with Florida's population of people and brings diseases like dengue fever and malaria. Climate change is sending non-native, invasive mosquito species to North America – specifically Florida.

The Lee County Mosquito Control District released thousands of mosquitoes in Fort Myers to bring down the population.

The free traps are part of a Gainesville company's donation of 100,000 of the devices.

The Collier Mosquito Control District received the residential traps as a donation from Gainesville company Inzecto and is working with community partners to distribute them to the public.

The Collier Mosquito Control District’s aerial fleet now includes three airplanes and four helicopters.

Cases of West Nile virus have been confirmed by Collier County health officials and there is a heightened concern that more residents will become ill.

The invasive Aedes scapularis and Aedes tortilis mosquitos brings the total number of known mosquito species in Collier to 48.