Mosquito Boom Expected in Hurricane Region

A recent report from Reuters has noted that the Louisiana Gulf Coast, specifically around New Orleans, is likely to see a boom in the mosquito population this spring and summer as a result of the damage and flooding caused by Hurricane Katrina. Janet McAllister, an entomologist with the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) says the mosquitoes already have “taken off” in that area.

In New Orleans, Reuters reports, officials are trying to combat an influx of salt-marsh mosquitoes in thousands of abandoned and damaged swimming pools in the city’s backyards through an improvised program of “pool patrols.”

The American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) says it’s not just swimming pools that are creating breeding grounds for these biting pests.

“During hurricanes, a number of things happen,” says Joe Conlon, technical advisor for AMCA. “First, all the larvae in the area are destroyed when the hurricane hits, and the adults are destroyed too. But when waters recede, there are huge amounts of new breeding habitats created. With all the debris that’s there, they’ll be breeding in new areas like tree holes, broken branches, trash left out, old tires, and more.”

Conlon spoke with Lawn & Landscape to give an idea of the scope of the expected mosquito influx, which he says could be significant and would likely become apparent from mid-March to April. “It only takes about seven days for mosquitoes to go from egg to adult and the hatching will actually depend on the first rains that come in,” he explains. “Once the rains come in you’ll get a huge bloom of mosquitoes at that point. We’re also expecting Florida to get nasty this year.”

Conlon says that fogging for mosquitoes during the early morning hours and at dusk can be helpful and will be managed by Louisiana and Florida’s mosquito abatement districts. Meanwhile, for personal mosquito repellant, he recommends cream repellants containing DEET

Scott Zide of Mosquito Squad, a franchise operation that installs backyard mosquito misting systems, notes that misting could be a new revenue stream for lawn and landscape contractors. “We’ve gotten an influx of frnachise inquiries from the Gulf Coast region, probably because they know that with all of the standing water there’s going to be a real influx of mosquitoes and gnats soon,” he says.

According to a recent Lawn & Landscape Online Poll, 8 percent of industry professionals are most likely to add mosquito control to their service menu this season.