Well, that was a close one for the Tampa bay area. And if you live further south, I hope you’re doing okay. But Hurricane Ian just ripped through the state a few days ago and brought widespread destruction. Why am I talking about this on a pest control site? Well, when you have a system that dumps blankets of water onto a state, you can expect a boom in the pest population. So today, let’s talk about hurricane mosquitoes, and what you can do to protect your property.
Hurricane Mosquitoes: Overview
The problem with hurricanes and mosquitoes doesn’t really start right away. Adult mosquitoes actually tend to die off during the high winds a hurricane brings. However, the flooding that happens when a hurricane blows through brings other problems. For one, mosquito eggs laid in the soil by floodwater mosquitoes during previous floods can finally hatch. Most of these mosquitoes aren’t disease vectors but will tear you up and swarm in massive clouds. The types of mosquitoes that are disease vectors to humans usually take about two weeks to hatch after a rain. So, accounting for that and a few weeks for viruses to be transmitted, you may be looking at a full four weeks before the effects of the hurricane mosquitoes are really noticed.
You should be extra careful if you live in an area that’s had an ongoing spread of either dengue, West Nile, or Zika virus. That likely means that these types of mosquitoes live in your area and will increase after the heavy rains. And this last one may be a bit of a no-brainer, but hurricanes usually require pretty heavy cleanup. The central Florida area, for example, has tons of downed trees and destroyed fences. Obviously, it could have been much worse, but that’s going to lead to more people being outside.
And what do fresh floodwater and more people mean? Continuing population booms! Mosquitoes need bloodmeals to lay eggs, and water to lay them in. So you combine the two of those in a post hurricane environment and you can see why it gets quite so bad.
Florida Mosquitoes
Now, we covered why they’re so bad after a storm. Let’s dig into a few of the species you may encounter in the sunshine state. There are over eighty species in Florida, some being simple pests with others being vectors for diseases. Let’s talk about a few of the ones that feed on humans.
Aedes Aegypti
Also known as the yellow fever mosquito, the Aedes Aegypti is capable of spreading many diseases. Some of these are dengue fever, chikungunya, Zika, and, obviously, yellow fever. Originating in Africa and spreading to America through the slave trade, this is a long, dark-colored mosquito. You can recognize it by the white markings on its legs and the upper surface of its thorax. Females are larger than males.
Larvae are found in water-holding objects found around your home and yard. This can include things like flower vases, tires, toys, bottles, conch shells, cans, drain pans, barrels, and other containers. It’s present in the entire state of Florida outside of the panhandle counties.
Aedes albopictus
Next on our list of hurricane mosquitoes is the Asian tiger mosquito. This mosquito is native to tropical and subtropical areas of southeast Asia. However, the species has spread across most of the globe thanks to international travel. It’s easily recognized by the white bands on its legs and body. As you can guess by the name, it gives it a tiger striped appearance.
This mosquito is a pest in many communities around the world because it closely associates with us. They don’t live in wetlands and feed off of animals. Instead, they feed during the day as well as at dusk and dawn- all times when we’re the most active. It’s a strong vector for the yellow fever virus, dengue fever, and chikungunya. Their larvae are also found in water holding objects, and they’re also residents of the entire state of Florida and are found in every county.
Aedes Taeniorhynchus
Next, we have a mosquito known as the black salt marsh mosquito. This one carries encephalitic viruses, making it frankly horrifying. In case you didn’t know, encephalitis is inflammation (swelling) of the brain!
This species’ adults are mostly black with areas of white banding. A single white band appears at the center of it’s proboscis, though this may be too small to see with the naked eye. Oddly enough, this is one of few species of mosquitoes that have no cryptic coloring, meaning it’s environment has no effect on the development of it’s colors. Drawing from that, you can conclude that these pests have no true natural predators- which is why they’re so numerous in the state.
HUrricane Mosquitoes: Gallinipers!
And to conclude the list of hurricane mosquitoes, we’ll finish off with what’s known as the gallinipper. They’re known for their aggressive behavior, and will actively dodge your swipes on their way inside to get a blood meal while showing no fear. These are very large mosquitoes and are yellow in coloration. Not only are these mosquitoes aggressive towards humans and other animals as adults, but P. ciliata larvae are known for preying on other mosquito species’ larvae and even tadpoles.
Anecdotally, I’ve been bitten by a few of these before and I have to say that it’s as painful as being bitten by a biting fly. Avoid these guys when you can!
Hurricane Mosquitoes: Conclusion
Outside of clearing out open containers, old tires, inflatable pools, or other things that gather standing water, dealing with these guys alone after a hurricane like Ian just isn’t an option. For a layman, a pest infestation of any kind is difficult to handle. And with mosquitoes being an outdoor pest, you don’t want to just go and spray poison all over your lawn and garden without knowing what you’re doing.
Instead, contact us at 1-800-634-1313, or visit our website insectfree.com to inquire about our mosquito smack service where we deal with potential nesting sites on your property so you don’t have to.