WESTON, Fla. – Mosquito spraying is underway across South Florida, and workers are overwhelmed with a large number of calls for service.
Officials said the mosquito problem is especially bad this summer because of a specific breed of the flying insects blowing into western Broward County from the Everglades.
Broward officials say they’re trying to get a handle on it.
“When they breed, they come in by the millions,” Anh Ton, the director of Broward County Highway & Bridge Maintenance, said.
And county officials say they’re trying to get a handle on it.
They have their work cut out for them when it comes to combating mosquitoes.
The usual 30 to 40 breeds are swarming, especially in areas of standing water.
But Ton said the “salt marsh mosquito” blew in from the Everglades with recent rains and all the eggs are hatching at once. And they’re coming with a vengeance.
“And they love human blood. They prefer human blood over other animals’ blood and they’re very aggressive,” he said. They will chase you around and get to your blood.”
Ton has extra crews out during the day doing house calls and working through the night with trucks to fight off the bites and backlog of reports.
“Over the weekend, we went from 150 requests for mosquito control to 1,200 requests a day,” he said. “So right now we have a backlog of about 6,000 requests.”
As they work, keep in mind the usual advice: “For other types of mosquitoes, just keep in mind, empty water around your house, wear a long-sleeved repellent with DEET in it, always work,” Ton said.
The county is sending a plane over the western part of Broward this weekend to do aerial sprays over places like Southwest Ranches, Davie, Pembroke Pines and Weston.
The spraying is happening overnight Saturday through Monday.
Those with sensitivities or breathing difficulties are advised to stay indoors during those hours. And pet owners are advised to keep their pets inside.