ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — Residents living near the Indian River Lagoon say they are being overwhelmed by aggressive saltmarsh mosquitoes, prompting a coordinated response from local and state officials.
WATCH BELOW: 'We can’t walk out our front door without getting swarmed,' Dianne Glogielo tells WPTV
“We have to constantly use bug spray just to leave the house or walk outside,” one resident said.
According to experts, billions of saltmarsh mosquitoes are hatching this season, with as many as 150 able to land on a person in just one minute. The insects thrive in coastal wetlands and have been especially active along Florida’s Treasure Coast.
“We can’t use our patios, we can’t walk out our front door without getting swarmed,” said Dianne Glogielo, who lives near the lagoon.
In response to the mosquito surge, state experts held a virtual summit Thursday to discuss strategies for control and prevention. Among the participants was St. Lucie County Senior Entomologist Daniel Tuzzolino, who said the county has already implemented many of the panel’s recommended solutions.
“We’re seeing aedes taeniorhynchus numbers emerge at rates we haven’t seen in decades,” Tuzzolino said. “If we didn’t have these tools, the pumps, the traps, the treatments, most of coastal Florida would feel more like the Everglades.”
One of the county’s key tactics involves pumping water from the Indian River Lagoon into mangrove swamps, effectively flooding mosquito breeding grounds and destroying larvae before they can hatch.
St. Lucie County also operates more than 50 mosquito traps throughout the area to monitor population spikes. In some cases, larvicides, a targeted mosquito treatment, are used to interrupt the insects’ life cycle.
While these saltmarsh mosquitoes aren’t known to spread disease to humans, Tuzzolino warned they can pose a risk to pets, especially dogs, by transmitting heartworms.
Experts say the best long-term relief may simply depend on Florida’s most unpredictable natural weapon: rain.
WPTV will continue to follow mosquito mitigation efforts across the Treasure Coast.
