A plane flying low over the lake was spraying mosquitoes.

5 minute read

The roar of aircraft flying low over Lakeland on Tuesday evening left many residents wondering what was going on. After discovering that Beechcraft's turboprop plane was spraying mosquitoes, some welcomed the news, while others expressed safety concerns.

Spraying resumed Wednesday night around Polk County, took a break Thursday when people were out for Halloween, and was scheduled to resume Friday.

Spraying will occur from dusk until dawn, from approximately 8 p.m. to 5 a.m., with most residents staying indoors, Polk County officials said. Originally the spray It was supposed to start last weekend.However, it was postponed until Tuesday. There is no word on how many days it will last.

Standing water from Hurricane Milton is causing more mosquitoes. And that led to the county receiving requests for mosquito spray, county spokeswoman Lauren Lengyel McCall said. wrote in the press release.

Deadly disease: Polk County Mosquito Control Officials said, “Mosquito bites are small, but when they bite, they can deliver a powerful shock.'' on their website. Diseases spread by mosquitoes include: west nile virus, malaria, zika virus, chikungunya virus and dengue fever.

“Mosquitoes can transmit the virus, and a single bite from an infected mosquito can cause debilitating illness and death in humans and animals,” Polk County Mosquito Control Manager Jackson Mosley said in a statement. Ta.

Mosquito control: Aerial spraying is intended to kill adult insects. County officials say the work is done at night, when adults are most active and most non-target insects, such as bees, dragonflies and butterflies, are less active.

County officials said when using chemical sprays, they rotate the types of chemicals used to ensure mosquitoes don't develop resistance.

“Because the amount of active ingredient released per acre of ground is so small, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has determined that in all scenarios considered, the amount of exposure to pesticides could pose a health concern. We found that it was hundreds or even thousands of times lower. The Polk County Mosquito Control Department website states:.

Additionally, they say, “We will alert the beekeeping community if mosquito repellent spraying is planned to protect bees, which play an important role in pollination in society.”

Missing beehive: But Teresa Green Lamerson says she loses her hives to bee droplets.

“It kills all pollinators, dragonflies, butterflies, and other insects,” she said in the paper. Comment on LkldNow's Facebook page. “Because the flowers are sprayed, the pollen and nectar are poisonous and they carry it back to the hive. Then the birds have a hard time finding insects to eat. I live north of Lakeland. I live in the West, and mosquitoes are not bad. They're always poisonous. They settle in my pet's water dish.”

However, some people asked to have their areas sprayed. Polk County Government Facebook Page. Some thanked the county for already spraying their area. Some requested flight plans so they could plan to stay indoors or protested against pesticide spraying.

For those who want to enjoy spraying: “Please spray the mulberries!” Otherwise Halloween will be unbearable! ” Stephanie Bryant wrote.

“Thank you Polk County Mosquito Control for your aerial spraying,” LK Ennis wrote. “Mosquitoes are very bad in Hidden Oaks off of Lan and Parker Roads.”

“Old Dade City Road is desperately needed after the water fills up,” Jane Salisbury wrote. “please.”

“Here in Polk City, we all need to get our butts out,” wrote Merrill Levi. “I just tried out the mug yesterday.''

anger: But others were angry.

“The spray took place just before 8 p.m. and also came into the eyes of Mulberry Youth Baseball/Softball kids during the game,” Joe Wells wrote.

“Great. More ways to poison us, our water, our animals, our children, and our topsoil,” wrote a man who identified himself as Maddox Maddox. “You guys are crazy if you think it’s a good idea to coat us with chemicals, even if it actually kills a few mosquitoes (shakes head).”

“This is not enough notice!!!” Stephanie Widner wrote. “Along with people who have asthma and people walking their dogs on a cool evening, there are a lot of people who have livestock (and who need to cover their water troughs), etc.” You may also find this map helpful.''Tampa always advertises that it is giving away free mosquito-eating fish. When is Polk County going to try a multi-pronged approach??”

Integrated approach: But Moseley said Polk County takes an integrated approach to mosquito control year-round.

“We're not reaching for chemical guns right away,” Moseley said. “Instead, we do everything from surveillance to treatment to resistance testing to public outreach.”

Last year, Mosquito Control deployed more than 3,600 traps in Polk County and captured hundreds of thousands of mosquitoes. Mosquito traps are placed weekly near populated areas. These traps use dry ice as bait, which releases carbon dioxide as it melts to mimic human breathing. This will attract mosquitoes.

This process helps determine which mosquito species are present, which determines the treatment to use to get rid of them.

What you can do: The county outlines two additional steps for mosquito control that the public needs to participate in: prevention and source reduction.

Mosley recommends applying repellents such as DEET to the skin to eliminate areas where mosquitoes breed and lay eggs.

“We're eliminating water containers,” Mosley said. “Whether it's tires, flowerpots, toys or birdhouses, throw them away or drain them and cover them. When wet, these are perfect places for mosquitoes to lay their eggs. There will be more mosquitoes.