Miami, Broward Trying To Take Sting Out Of Mosquito Season

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The start of our summer rainy season is just around the corner and that means the return of our least favorite summer visitors - mosquitoes.

Miami and Broward are trying to get ahead of the game this year.

In Miami, the city is urging residents to drain any standing water around their residences, cover anything that can collect water, and start using bug spray when outside. City works will start doing larvicide treatments in open drains, and inspect roadway construction sites, open trenches and storage bins, looking for standing water. The building department will inspect properties under construction looking for open trenches and storage bins

The city's Homeless Assistance office will begin distributing insect repellent towelettes and sprays.

"Mosquitoes are not only a nuisance, they can also present serious health risks," said Director of Communications Eugene Ramirez. "Working together, the city and its residents can help control the spread of illness and make for a safe and enjoyable summer."

In Broward, mosquito control workers will be spraying larvicide in neighborhoods in central Broward over the next two weeks. The spray is harmless to humans and pets.

Mosquito larvae thrive in containers around people's homes and grow in standing water and even containers as small as a bottle cap.

Recent rains helped to create good conditions for the mosquito larvae to grow.

The big fear from the adult mosquito is diseases like Zika, yellow fever, and dengue.

The Centers for Disease Control says they are seeing a spike in these types of diseases. In 2016, there were more than 40,000 cases of Zika, mostly in US territories, like Puerto Rico. For now, Ton is most worried about yellow fever due to outbreaks in South and Central America.