Cindy Mulla, Public Relations/Education, Beach Mosquito Control District
No matter where you live, weather can sometimes be predictable or an unpredictable game changer when it comes to daily life activities. Panama City Beach, Florida offers a desirable subtropical climate to everyone who visits or chooses to live here. Whether we like it or not… our area’s weather conditions offer the same opportunity for mosquito populations to thrive. The warmer the weather conditions, the faster the life cycle for developing mosquitoes. Under optimal conditions, it can take only five to ten days after the female lays her eggs for the mosquito to become an adult. It takes humans nine months to be born and twenty-one years to become an adult.
Not only can rain amounts impact our mosquito populations, but drought conditions also cause another negative impact on our local mosquitoes. Seriously, a drought? But how? Let me explain. All living organisms need water to thrive and survive. When an area experiences drought conditions, for a long or brief period all living organisms congregate where there are water sources available. When populations of any type congregate in small available restricted spaces for any length of time the potential for disease to be present, spread and amplify will also increase. For example, birds can carry arboviruses. Viruses that birds can spread to mosquito populations. The three main viruses of concern in our local area are West Nile Virus (WNV), Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus (EEEv), and St. Louis Encephalitis (SLEv). BMCD has sentinel chicken flocks that we take samples from weekly to determine if an arbovirus might be present in our area. However, personal protection begins with you. Please remember to responsibly wear and protect yourself from mosquito-borne disease. Personal protection begins with you. Do not forget to keep mosquito repellent in your Hurricane Preparedness kits too!
Beach Mosquito Control District (BMCD) does its absolute best to stay ahead of all the weather events to prevent potential mosquito population explosions and treating known problematic areas. Both larval and adult mosquito surveillance is the first line of defense. Did you know that you can also be a part of our surveillance team to help your community to fight the bite? We do not know what mosquito activity you may have from time to time on your personal homefront unless you contact us. Remember, your tax dollars fund our services, and we want to keep you and our community safe from mosquitoes and their potential to affect our local community’s public health too.
Just like life, the weather can be at times unpredictable or surprise us with unexpected events. All we can do is do our best to prepare, assess, and strive for a positive outcome for all.
So, remember for all your mosquito concerns, contact the professionals at Beach Mosquito Control District. We have been proudly serving the Panama City Beach area for over 70 years and take pride everything we can do to protect our local area against mosquito borne disease. Remember your hard-working tax dollars fund this service. Do not be shy, contact us today! To place a service request call (850) 233-5030 or go online to www.pcbeachmosquito.org.
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