By James Clauson, Director
Spring is here and Beach Mosquito Control District (BMCD) located in Panama City Beach, is gearing up for the mosquito season. We are a local Governmental Independent Special District whose sole function is to control the mosquitoes within our boundaries. The District’s boundaries extend from Hathaway Bridge on the east to the Walton County line on the west, south of the Intercoastal Waterway. We are funded by ad valorem taxes from within the District. The District was founded in 1953 and is governed by a 3 member Board of Commissioners elected for a 4-year term.
There are 12 employees. The Director is responsible for administering and managing the District. Our address is 509 Griffin Blvd., Panama City Beach. We encourage citizens, both local and tourist, to call us if they are experiencing any mosquito-related problems.
BMCD uses Integrated Mosquito Management when addressing mosquito-related problems. The District uses an extensive surveillance system to determine where and when the mosquitoes are breeding and in part drives our control efforts. We larvicide and adulticide with very safe and approved (EPA) larvacides and adulticides. We utilize two helicopters to supplement our fleet of trucks. The District uses a computerized mapping system that collects many records and helps the employees find and treat the “sources” where the mosquitoes breed. All mosquitoes need water in the larva stage so if we know where the water is, we can “dip” and see if larvae are present and if so, we treat the water. Again, we use very safe and approved larvacides.
Lastly, we rely on people calling us to report any mosquito problems. This is very helpful for our technicians. That allows the technicians to sample and bring into our lab the larva so the lab can identify the specific species. That’s important because only certain species spread or “vector” diseases. We have two important diseases here in the District, Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus (WNV). Please call (850) 233-5030, email or go to our website, www.pcbeachmosquito.org, to send a SR, service request.
