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Mosquito populations in PBC higher than normal

Posted at 6:19 PM, Dec 16, 2015
and last updated 2015-12-16 18:19:06-05

As we approach Christmas Day, Santa isn't the only one set to take to the skies. 

Palm Beach County Mosquito Control will be making a rare December appearance over Palm Beach County - spraying hundreds of thousands of acres west of Military trail - in an effort to deliver relief to residents. 

A Cessna 337 is set to take to the skies Wednesday for that evening spray. 

The mosquito infestation has sent many residents running for cover - residents like Suzy Mossucco.

"I don't come out here that much," she tells us, as she stands by the lake outside her home.

For her, nothing beats the great indoors - especially with mosquitoes buzzing around. 

"We've been attacked, my poor dog Stella here has been attacked numerous times just during the day," she says.

She says the conditions in her Loxahatchee neighborhood provide the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. 

"The rain, and definitely the standing still water in the empty lot behind the house here," she says. "There's a pond between our house here and the neighbor's house."

It's leaving her and other Palm Beach County residents itching for relief. 

"This has been unusual phenomena this year, and maybe this is a harbinger of things to come," says Ed Bradford with PBC Mosquito Control

Bradford says their phones have been ringing off the hook. 

Mosquitoes are a year round problem he says, but it's never usually this bad this late in the year. 

"During the winter months we tend to have less precipitation and colder temperatures," he says.

The aerial spray Wednesday should provide temporary relief, but an approaching cold front could provide a more permanent solution. 

"The stress of the cooler temperatures, the lack of picking up blood meals to lay their eggs and everything could pretty much decimate the population," Bradford says. 

However, there's a chance it won't, so Bradford says we have to wait and see. 

Mossucco says she can't wait for the buzz to die down. 

"I think maybe they need to come back often, until it's resolved."

Mosquito control says the best thing you can do until these pests go away - make sure you use repellent with DEET, and remove standing water from around your house.

Even something as small as a doggie water bowl can be a breeding ground.