Last year's hurricanes could mean more mosquitoes this year, or perhaps years in the future, for Pasco County. We speak with Pasco Mosquito Control Director Adriane Rogers.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm Gordon Bird with Beyond the News. One of the
biggest problems that can follow in the aftermath of a hurricane,
along with power restoration or getting your home repaired, is
mosquito control. Mosquito infestations often follow hurricanes. Pasco County suffered
from two hurricane impacts in twenty twenty four, and both
dramatically increased mosquito populations in different ways. Let's find out
(00:22):
more now from Pasco Mosquito Control Districts Executive Director Adrian Rodgers,
who joins us now. Adrian Rodgers, welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Thank you very much, Gordon. I appreciate the opportunity to
speak with you today.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
First, tell me about how your agency's work was impacted
by the twenty twenty four hurricanes. You had one hurricane
that was skirting the coast, another went well inland, and
they both had different impacts as far as the mosquito
populations were concerned.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Twenty twenty four hurricane season was certainly challenging for Pasco
County residents. Not only did we have Hurricanes Selena and
Milton that impacted our region, but if you recall, there
was another tropical storm earlier in the year that also
brought a lot of rainfall, and so the challenges that
we faced were really unprecedented for our area, not only
(01:09):
the incredible damage to homes, infrastructure, and our landscape, but
to public health due to the conditions that are created
for mosquito breeding and mosquito borne disease transmission. In the
wake of these storms. In twenty twenty four was also
not just challenging for us in terms of major storm events,
but we also had an incredibly intense mosquito borne disease year,
(01:32):
not just locally but throughout the state of Florida, and
we saw deng gay virus transmission that was picked up
here locally in areas of Pasco County in our mosquitoes,
which is an extremely serious issue. This of course heightened
our mosquito mitigation efforts and gave it urgency. Then, because
of the flooding that remained from the hurricanes in the
eastern portion of the county, we saw standing water on
(01:52):
the ground for months, and we saw cases of West
Nile virus occur due to the newly created mosquito habitat
from the floodwater. But it was very different challenges we
face with each respective storm. Hurricane Helene impacted the coastal
area and brought unprecedented title surge to Pasco County, and
the floodwater that happens as a result of tidal influx
(02:17):
produces a different mosquito than what we saw, a different
mosquito species than what we saw out in East Pasco
from the unprecedented flooding inland from the riverine flooding that
we got as a result of Hurricane Milton. And so
our efforts had to shift a little bit depending on
what area we were targeting and based on the mosquitoes
that are produced from that tidal surge area as opposed
(02:39):
to what happens out in East Pasco with the riverine flooding.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
And just to give people who may not be familiar
with the geography a little bit of an idea, Pasco
County extends all the way from the Gulf to very
far east into west central Florida and at one point
actually touches Sumter County, so right virtually into the middle
of the state into the Green Swamp. Now, when you
have those kinds of impacts and you see a rise
(03:06):
in mosquito populations as the result of a hurricane or hurricanes,
does that population stay elevated. Does that increase carry over
into following seasons.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
So certainly there is an influence that happens for the
next following year. So depending on the severity of the storm.
When we have this these flooding events and people are
potentially left without power or they're even displaced from their homes.
Now they could be living outside or have their their
doors and windows wide open to you know, allow airflow,
(03:37):
which allows mosquitos to come inside. This really creates a
tremendous risk of mosquito born disease. And what we're doing
in the wake of a hurricane isn't just about nuisance control.
It's about safeguarding the health of our residents and protecting
our emergency emergency responders who are out there in the
elements working long hours. Mosquito control really has to be
(03:58):
operational in the wake of a storm so that we
can get out there and provide proactive mosquito control efforts
and ongoing long term treatments to protect public health in
the wake of these events. But so what happens as
a result, you know, the following year as we're looking
into do hurricane season for twenty twenty five, so when
mosquitoes lay their eggs, they typically do so just above
(04:19):
the high water line from any particular flooding event. So
what we saw with the intense amount of riverine flooding
in eastern Pasco County, we haven't seen anything like that,
and so now we have these areas, low lying areas
that were flooded with water that have never been flooded
with water before. So what happens the mosquitos will now
be laying their eggs around those areas. And so if
(04:41):
we get another major flooding event like we did last
year in this hurricane season, and those eggs are then
inundated with water again, that's when they'll hatch off and
then you see these huge numbers of mosquito production increase.
So typically throughout the year, you know, we don't have
water in those areas, but the mosquito eggs can lay
dormant for years sometimes.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
So in twenty twenty five, with all that in mind,
how is your agency stepping up its game, if you will,
to address that potential of swelling mosquito population.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
The Pasco County Mosquito Control District, we don't just wait
for the next storm to come. We're already strengthening our
emergency response ptocols, working very proactively to reduce mosquito populations
throughout the county, and we do that all year round.
We're not just a seasonal organization. We have plenty of
mosquito control products on hand in stock available for use
at any given time. Every year, we're enhancing our outreach
(05:34):
and building more robust community education campaigns focused on storm recovery,
mosquito prevention, mosquito borne disease awareness, and what you can
do to protect yourself from mosquito exposure. We're also continue
to work very closely with local emergency management, Department of
Health in Pasco County and other key partners to integrate
mosquito control into the broader disaster response framework for Pasco County.
(05:58):
But you know, we're working year round owned to keep
mosquito populations to a tolerable level and again looking at
where those disease risks are and trying to keep mosquito
populations low.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
One of the initiatives that you're taking in for this
year is you're looking at the release of sterile male mosquitos,
which is something that has been tried in other parts
of the state and you're particularly targeting one particular species
of mosquito.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
The sterile insect technique is a scientifically proven method that's
been used for over seventy years across the globe and
controlling agricultural and public health threats. And what we're looking
at doing now is launching a program to bring that
here into Pasco County for one specific species of mosquito,
the eighties Egypti mosquito, which is are a main disease
(06:48):
vector that we have here in Pasco County that's responsible
for transmitting dengay, zeka, chicken gunya, and yellow fever. And
so it's something that we are trying to incorporate into
are additional integrated mosquito management techniques and use as a
compliment to those, just one additional tool in our toolbox
(07:09):
to try to combat this public health threat.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
If you're a person who lives in an area that
gets impacted by a hurricane and you face the possibility
of a mosquito infestation, particularly if there is a storm
surge or if there is tidal flooding or river flooding,
what steps should you be taking to stay safe from
a mosquito infestation.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Residents play a huge role in mosquito control. It's a
collaborative effort that everyone really has a part in playing.
We like to remind everyone that following any rain event,
or especially you know, during or after a hurricane, drain
and cover practices. Follow the draining cover practices. What that
means is drain standing water from any containers that you
(07:51):
might have around your homes, things like buckets or cloud gutters.
If your gutters get full of debris from the storm,
make sure that they're flowing freely so the water doesn't
remain stagnant. Flower pots, children's toys, anything in your property
that can collect water has the potential to be a
habitat for mosquito production, and so dump out and drain
any standing water that you might have. Also, you want
(08:13):
to be covering your skin with long sleeve shirts, long pants, shoes,
and socks, especially if you're out after a hurricane and
you're cleaning up debris in your yard, or you know,
if you are unfortunate enough to have have been impacted
even more severely, you really want to make sure that
you're protecting yourself the best you can. So cover up
with long clothing, use us EPA approved insect repellent. Something
(08:37):
containing the active ingredient date de t is really going
to provide you the best long lasting protection. Also, cover
your windows and doors with screens if you are without
power and now you have your doors and windows open,
or if you're you're outside, really again protecting yourself from
from the mosquito. So if you have screens on your
(08:58):
doors and windows, make sure that any damage that may
have been done to those screens from the storm, make
sure you repair those as quickly as you can, because
mosquitoes can come inside your homes as well, and these
very small actions can make a tremendous difference, especially when
our communities are recovering from major storm events.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Pasco County Mosquito Control District Executive Director Adrianne Rodgers, thank
you very much for joining us.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Thank you so much, Gordon, I really appreciate it.
I'm Gordon Bird with Beyond the News. One of the
biggest problems that can follow in the aftermath of a hurricane,
along with power restoration or getting your home repaired, is
mosquito control. Mosquito infestations often follow hurricanes. Pasco County suffered
from two hurricane impacts in twenty twenty four, and both
dramatically increased mosquito populations in different ways. Let's find out
(00:22):
more now from Pasco Mosquito Control Districts Executive Director Adrian Rodgers,
who joins us now. Adrian Rodgers, welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Thank you very much, Gordon. I appreciate the opportunity to
speak with you today.
Speaker 1 (00:33):
First, tell me about how your agency's work was impacted
by the twenty twenty four hurricanes. You had one hurricane
that was skirting the coast, another went well inland, and
they both had different impacts as far as the mosquito
populations were concerned.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Twenty twenty four hurricane season was certainly challenging for Pasco
County residents. Not only did we have Hurricanes Selena and
Milton that impacted our region, but if you recall, there
was another tropical storm earlier in the year that also
brought a lot of rainfall, and so the challenges that
we faced were really unprecedented for our area, not only
(01:09):
the incredible damage to homes, infrastructure, and our landscape, but
to public health due to the conditions that are created
for mosquito breeding and mosquito borne disease transmission. In the
wake of these storms. In twenty twenty four was also
not just challenging for us in terms of major storm events,
but we also had an incredibly intense mosquito borne disease year,
(01:32):
not just locally but throughout the state of Florida, and
we saw deng gay virus transmission that was picked up
here locally in areas of Pasco County in our mosquitoes,
which is an extremely serious issue. This of course heightened
our mosquito mitigation efforts and gave it urgency. Then, because
of the flooding that remained from the hurricanes in the
eastern portion of the county, we saw standing water on
(01:52):
the ground for months, and we saw cases of West
Nile virus occur due to the newly created mosquito habitat
from the floodwater. But it was very different challenges we
face with each respective storm. Hurricane Helene impacted the coastal
area and brought unprecedented title surge to Pasco County, and
the floodwater that happens as a result of tidal influx
(02:17):
produces a different mosquito than what we saw, a different
mosquito species than what we saw out in East Pasco
from the unprecedented flooding inland from the riverine flooding that
we got as a result of Hurricane Milton. And so
our efforts had to shift a little bit depending on
what area we were targeting and based on the mosquitoes
that are produced from that tidal surge area as opposed
(02:39):
to what happens out in East Pasco with the riverine flooding.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
And just to give people who may not be familiar
with the geography a little bit of an idea, Pasco
County extends all the way from the Gulf to very
far east into west central Florida and at one point
actually touches Sumter County, so right virtually into the middle
of the state into the Green Swamp. Now, when you
have those kinds of impacts and you see a rise
(03:06):
in mosquito populations as the result of a hurricane or hurricanes,
does that population stay elevated. Does that increase carry over
into following seasons.
Speaker 2 (03:17):
So certainly there is an influence that happens for the
next following year. So depending on the severity of the storm.
When we have this these flooding events and people are
potentially left without power or they're even displaced from their homes.
Now they could be living outside or have their their
doors and windows wide open to you know, allow airflow,
(03:37):
which allows mosquitos to come inside. This really creates a
tremendous risk of mosquito born disease. And what we're doing
in the wake of a hurricane isn't just about nuisance control.
It's about safeguarding the health of our residents and protecting
our emergency emergency responders who are out there in the
elements working long hours. Mosquito control really has to be
(03:58):
operational in the wake of a storm so that we
can get out there and provide proactive mosquito control efforts
and ongoing long term treatments to protect public health in
the wake of these events. But so what happens as
a result, you know, the following year as we're looking
into do hurricane season for twenty twenty five, so when
mosquitoes lay their eggs, they typically do so just above
(04:19):
the high water line from any particular flooding event. So
what we saw with the intense amount of riverine flooding
in eastern Pasco County, we haven't seen anything like that,
and so now we have these areas, low lying areas
that were flooded with water that have never been flooded
with water before. So what happens the mosquitos will now
be laying their eggs around those areas. And so if
(04:41):
we get another major flooding event like we did last
year in this hurricane season, and those eggs are then
inundated with water again, that's when they'll hatch off and
then you see these huge numbers of mosquito production increase.
So typically throughout the year, you know, we don't have
water in those areas, but the mosquito eggs can lay
dormant for years sometimes.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
So in twenty twenty five, with all that in mind,
how is your agency stepping up its game, if you will,
to address that potential of swelling mosquito population.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
The Pasco County Mosquito Control District, we don't just wait
for the next storm to come. We're already strengthening our
emergency response ptocols, working very proactively to reduce mosquito populations
throughout the county, and we do that all year round.
We're not just a seasonal organization. We have plenty of
mosquito control products on hand in stock available for use
at any given time. Every year, we're enhancing our outreach
(05:34):
and building more robust community education campaigns focused on storm recovery,
mosquito prevention, mosquito borne disease awareness, and what you can
do to protect yourself from mosquito exposure. We're also continue
to work very closely with local emergency management, Department of
Health in Pasco County and other key partners to integrate
mosquito control into the broader disaster response framework for Pasco County.
(05:58):
But you know, we're working year round owned to keep
mosquito populations to a tolerable level and again looking at
where those disease risks are and trying to keep mosquito
populations low.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
One of the initiatives that you're taking in for this
year is you're looking at the release of sterile male mosquitos,
which is something that has been tried in other parts
of the state and you're particularly targeting one particular species
of mosquito.
Speaker 2 (06:25):
The sterile insect technique is a scientifically proven method that's
been used for over seventy years across the globe and
controlling agricultural and public health threats. And what we're looking
at doing now is launching a program to bring that
here into Pasco County for one specific species of mosquito,
the eighties Egypti mosquito, which is are a main disease
(06:48):
vector that we have here in Pasco County that's responsible
for transmitting dengay, zeka, chicken gunya, and yellow fever. And
so it's something that we are trying to incorporate into
are additional integrated mosquito management techniques and use as a
compliment to those, just one additional tool in our toolbox
(07:09):
to try to combat this public health threat.
Speaker 1 (07:11):
If you're a person who lives in an area that
gets impacted by a hurricane and you face the possibility
of a mosquito infestation, particularly if there is a storm
surge or if there is tidal flooding or river flooding,
what steps should you be taking to stay safe from
a mosquito infestation.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Residents play a huge role in mosquito control. It's a
collaborative effort that everyone really has a part in playing.
We like to remind everyone that following any rain event,
or especially you know, during or after a hurricane, drain
and cover practices. Follow the draining cover practices. What that
means is drain standing water from any containers that you
(07:51):
might have around your homes, things like buckets or cloud gutters.
If your gutters get full of debris from the storm,
make sure that they're flowing freely so the water doesn't
remain stagnant. Flower pots, children's toys, anything in your property
that can collect water has the potential to be a
habitat for mosquito production, and so dump out and drain
any standing water that you might have. Also, you want
(08:13):
to be covering your skin with long sleeve shirts, long pants, shoes,
and socks, especially if you're out after a hurricane and
you're cleaning up debris in your yard, or you know,
if you are unfortunate enough to have have been impacted
even more severely, you really want to make sure that
you're protecting yourself the best you can. So cover up
with long clothing, use us EPA approved insect repellent. Something
(08:37):
containing the active ingredient date de t is really going
to provide you the best long lasting protection. Also, cover
your windows and doors with screens if you are without
power and now you have your doors and windows open,
or if you're you're outside, really again protecting yourself from
from the mosquito. So if you have screens on your
(08:58):
doors and windows, make sure that any damage that may
have been done to those screens from the storm, make
sure you repair those as quickly as you can, because
mosquitoes can come inside your homes as well, and these
very small actions can make a tremendous difference, especially when
our communities are recovering from major storm events.
Speaker 1 (09:16):
Pasco County Mosquito Control District Executive Director Adrianne Rodgers, thank
you very much for joining us.
Speaker 2 (09:23):
Thank you so much, Gordon, I really appreciate it.
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