Standing water prompts mosquito concerns after Hurricane Irma hits Central Florida

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — While Hurricane Irma is long gone, the effects of the major storm will be felt in Central Florida for a long time.

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One of the issues the storm has caused in the short term, though, is countless areas with standing water that are the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Orange County Mosquito Control employee Al Edmonds was out Friday looking for areas of standing water and checking them for mosquito larvae.

When he finds water with larvae, he tosses in pellets containing a growth hormone that kills them before they are able to turn into mosquitoes.

“There’s water in there,” Edmonds said. “You can’t even see it, but there’s water in there and that’s a perfect spot for it too.”

For the larvae that do grow into mosquitoes, crews have already started spraying at night and will likely have to spray from the air in the coming weeks.

Despite all of their efforts, Orange County Mosquito Control officials expect to see a massive increase in the mosquito population within the next week.

Residents can help decrease the number of mosquitoes in Central Florida by making sure any standing water is emptied from manmade containers at their properties.

Cox Media Group