Areas ravaged by flood waters from Hurricane Harvey are fighting large populations of mosquitos. State officials have activated aerial mosquito control and spraying.
Residual standing waters have created new environments for mosquito breeding after rains forced mosquitos from their habitats into more populated areas.
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has activated its contract for aerial mosquito control and requested additional mosquito control assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
According to a DSHS news release, aerial spraying was scheduled to begin around dusk Thursday over Refugio and Bee counties.
Most mosquitos that appear after floods are nuisance mosquitos that don’t spread disease, according to entomologists and state health officials. Flood water mosquitos, however, will negatively impact outdoor activities and cleanup efforts.
Areas of standing water can increase the number of mosquitoes capable of spreading diseases like West Nile virus and Zika.
Aerial application of insecticide when applied according to label instructions by a licensed professional is the most effective way to rapidly reduce the number of mosquitos in a large area. The small amount of insecticide used does not pose a health risk to people, pets or the environment in the area, according to DSHS.
Individuals can help control mosquitos during the recovery efforts by dumping out standing water around homes and businesses and applying a commercially available larvicide in water that can’t be drained.
It’s important to empty all standing water sites to control disease-transmitting mosquitos and prevent them from building populations, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension veterinary entomologist Dr. Sonja Swiger.
Mosquito Safari, a website provided by Texas A&M AgriLife Research, provides comprehensive information on common mosquitos, the diseases they carry and instructions for controlling the pest.
The newly redesigned website identifies the seven types of mosquitos considered by entomologists to pose the biggest public health concerns.
Mosquito Safari also provides mosquito control methods. The site details an integrated approach to mosquito control, which includes a range of tools and practices that can be used in tandem to reduce mosquito numbers and to help avoid human contact.