The Alachua County Health Department issued a mosquito advisory earlier this week, announcing that mosquitoes capable of transmitting diseases such as the West Nile virus are swarming the county.
Paul Myers, health department administrator, said they’re the most potentially disease-carrying mosquitoes the county has seen in years.
Myers said the increase in population may be due to consistent rainfall and warm temperatures among other conditions.
Phillip E. Kaufman, a UF associate professor of veterinary entomology, said most Florida counties have mosquito surveillance systems in place to track populations year-round.
Kaufman said the City of Gainesville usually does a good job of controlling mosquito populations, including treating still water at development sites with products only toxic to larvae. The city will also begin fogging if there are especially high numbers.
He said Alachua County does not have a mosquito control department due to cost and a low population of people in many areas of the county.
“It is more important to take the proper steps than to try home remedies,” he said.
Myers said mosquito populations will decline as the weather begins to cool but will not completely go away until the first hard freeze.
For now, he suggests taking precautionary measures, including avoiding the outdoors during the times of dusk and dawn, wearing clothing that covers the skin and using good-quality repellant.
He also advised residents to drain standing water frequently, paying attention to bird feeders, house gutters and pool covers.
A version of this story ran on page 1 on 9/27/2013 under the headline "County mosquitoes could be carrying diseases"
