Below are some items that are beneficial for mosquito prevention which can be packed in a go-kit or stored as part of your Hurricane Preparedness Plan.

• EPA-registered repellents
  • Check that repellents are not expired or leaking. 
• Heartworm prevention for pets
• Backup power supplies for devices
  • Generators or backup batteries
• Bed netting
  • Bed netting is recommended for children under the age of 2 in lieu of repellents.
• Fans, particularly battery powered
  • Place near open windows to keep bugs out.
• Window screen repair kits
• Turkey baster 
  • A turkey baster is the perfect tool to check standing water for mosquito larva. Label and keep separate from kitchen utensils used for food. 
• Yard waste disposal bags
• BTI, or mosquito larvicide
  • Can be applied to stagnant water to control larval mosquitoes. Do not apply to moving water, or water that will be used for cleaning, cooking, or bathing. 
• Clothing that protects against bites
  • Long, Loose-fitting, Light colored clothing is the best at reducing bites. 
• Shoe storage or shoe odor removers
  • Shoes can hold onto odors that can attract mosquitoes. Don't keep shoes near doors, and keep them in closed storage to prevent attracting mosquitoes. 
  • Even simple repurposed grocery bags tied shut help to trap odors.

Be ready: sign up for notifications at www.AlertSarasotaCounty.com 

• Customizable alert settings

• Call, text, email

  • As part of the Emergency Alert System, calls and texts can be received even without cell service. 

Following hurricanes, mosquito populations are typically expected to increase.

Your area may have been treated already or is scheduled for treatment. Utilize the map here to see treatments currently scheduled or within the past 7 days. Updates occur typically before 2:00 PM EST.

How are service requests processed in response to a hurricane?

• Requests are used to understand where additional surveillance is necessary. Individual home visits do not occur. To speak with Mosquito Management personnel, please contact us directly. 
• Water that is actively flowing is not going to produce mosquitoes. Standing water that does not flow is treated using larvicides to minimize mosquito growth.
• Mosquito Management increases mosquito population surveillance and disease surveillance to assess if any areas are at heightened risk.  
• Due to the influx of service requests, staff are not able to contact customers with updates. To know if your area will be treated for adult mosquitoes, sign up for alerts using Alert Sarasota County or to call 311 for assistance signing up. We also publicly share treatment information on Facebook and our webpage at www.scgov.net/mosquito.

Aerial (plane) and ground (truck) missions are determined using multiple factors. Size of area, road network availability, target mosquito species, and mosquito population and disease surveillance. 

Because each storm brings unique challenges, situations may occur which may affect application methods. Roadways that are washed out or flooded may be inaccessible to trucks. 

 Residents in storm-affected areas that may have sustained damages or loss of power may have windows open. These residents may have concerns about mosquito treatment applications. While we understand the concerns residents may have, it is very important to remember that applications are done at an Ultra-Low Volume (ULV) rate and are consistent with the EPA guidelines to pose minimal risk to humans. The minimal exposure to pesticides is often outweighed by the risk of mosquito-borne disease.

It is important to monitor the Mosquito Management website, social media, and utilize automatic notifications to know if or when your area may be treated. This can help allow citizens plan to close windows or relocate indoors during treatment. 

The pesticides used by Mosquito Management have been tested by the Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services. When applied by the label rate, they kill mosquitoes without posing unreasonable risks to human health or the environment. Applications follow the labels and apply Ultra Low Volumes (ULV) amounts that only affect insects. Visit our Planned Spray Mission Map for more details about spray time, pesticide applied and treatment location. 

To know when and where treatments are occurring, the best way is to sign up on Alert Sarasota where a person can receive notifications via text, email, phone, TDD/TTY, or via Alert Sarasota County app. If citizens do not have web access,  they may receive the alerts as texts, emails, or phone call notices.

 For information on what pesticides are used, please visit the Approved Pesticide List. 

During the daytime, Mosquito Management staff are spraying ditches with Bti. Bti is a naturally occurring soil bacteria called Bacillus thuringiensis israielsis  that will not harm people, animals, other insects or plants.  It's an environmentally safe, biological control pesticide that only targets mosquitoes. BTI will reduce future generations of mosquitoes, but it cannot control adult mosquitoes. Other products such as mineral oils or mosquitofish are also utilized. 

 For for information, please visit the Approved Pesticide List. 

The Florida Department Of Health conducts statewide surveillance for mosquito-borne illnesses, including West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, St. Louis Encephalitis, Malaria and Dengue. For details, please follow the link to access weekly arbovirus reports issued by the Florida Department of Health: Mosquito-Borne Disease Surveillance | Florida Department of Health (floridahealth.gov).

For more information on mosquito-borne illnesses, visit DOH’s Web site at www.floridahealth.gov/diseases-and-conditions/mosquito-borne-diseases/index.html