INDIAN RIVER COUNTY, Fla. — Residents across Indian River County say mosquitoes are worse than they’ve been in years, leaving many unable to enjoy their yards or walk outside without being swarmed.
“We can’t use our patios. We can’t walk out our front doors without getting swarmed by mosquitoes,” one resident said.
WATCH: County officials say drought conditions causing mosquito problem
Dianne Glogiello, who lives in the Groves Garden community, said it’s been relentless.
“We have to constantly use bug spray just to leave the house or even go on our property,” Glogiello said. “I have not seen trucks or the yellow plane in months.”
The Indian River County Mosquito Control District says there’s a reason for that — and it starts with an unusually dry season.
“We have extreme drought conditions,” said Sherry Burroughs, executive director of the district. “A source reduction measure we use is flooding the marshes to prevent female mosquitoes from laying their eggs on moist soil.”
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WHERE'S THE RAIN? This county now under moderate drought
But with marshes remaining dry this season, mosquitoes are adapting and breeding in scattered puddles left behind by intermittent rainfall.
“Those are producing mosquitoes,” Burroughs said.
As for the familiar yellow plane used to spray large areas, Burroughs said current conditions make it impractical.
“Those areas are so small it would be physically irresponsible for us to fly the whole area and provide the product on dry ground when we’re trying to hit a puddle,” she explained.
Instead, the district has turned to emergency methods like thermal fogging, something Burroughs says they rarely use.
“We’re in an extreme situation. I have one 30-year employee who told me they’ve only seen this once in their career," she said.
Burroughs assures residents they have not been forgotten. She says once more consistent rain returns to the area, normal mosquito control operations — including truck and aerial spraying — will resume.
