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Coronavirus Pandemic Won't Stop Mosquito Season From Coming

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – As the temperatures slowly begin to climb, so do the number of mosquitoes. The pests are most active when temperatures climb above 80 degrees which means peak mosquito season is approaching.  While in the midst of the changes brought on by the coronavirus, the Miami-Dade County Mosquito Control and Habitat Management Division is advising residents to continue to Fight the Bite and Drain and Cover.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mosquitoes are not a transmitter of the COVID-19. However, their bites can be annoying and potentially spread dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever, creating the need for year-round precautionary measures.

You do not need one more thing to worry about during these challenging times.

So if you are home practicing social distancing and looking for something to do, go outside and drain any standing water you may have in the yard.

"We maintain that the best way to control mosquitoes is to limit the opportunities they have to breed," says Dr. William Petrie, division director. "Practicing source reduction around your home or business means getting rid of objects that may collect standing water and thus promulgate breeding: broken appliances, old tires, and unused planters. It also means checking carefully for cryptic sites like clogged rain gutters, hard-to-reach tree holes, and water pooling on roofs."

Cover refers to covering exposed skin with an EPA-registered mosquito repellent that contains one of the following as an active ingredient: DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus, or IR-3535. It also means covering up your skin with long-sleeved tops, pants, socks and hats, as well as doors, windows, and outdoor seating areas with fine mesh screens.

Using the larvicide Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis), a naturally-occurring and EPA-registered compound, in your garden's bromeliads in granular form, prevents breeding from occurring in them. To stop breeding in bird baths and fish ponds, the County recommends using it in briquette or dunk form.

The Mosquito Control team has a network of more than 180 mosquito traps set throughout the County and checks on them on a weekly basis, and also conducts truck larviciding missions, which are augmented as soon as the rainy season kicks into high gear.

Click here to see the truck spraying schedule.

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