The Orange County Mosquito Control is expected to begin spraying aerial mosquito treatments this week in areas that experienced prolonged flooding due to Hurricane Ian.
A release from Orange County shared that approximately 93,000 acres in the area have been identified to have an increased mosquito population and will be slated for treatment, including Apopka, Bithlo, Christmas, Hunter’s Creek, Union Park, and Wedgefield.
The county is spraying in order to negate the elevating number of mosquitos as they are known to transmit illnesses to humans. The treatment is called Naled and it is allegedly not harmful to livestock, pets, or gardens. It’s an organophosphate insecticide and is often used to control other insects like fruit flies and dog flies, and kills mosquitoes on contact.
Literature on the chemical, provided by Orange County, states that they use very small doses to treat mosquitos and that the levels need to be substantially higher to be toxic to larger organisms like fish and mammals, though they can be toxic to bees and other insects – though it is often applied in the early morning or evening hours when bees are not out searching for food.
You can contact the mosquito control office for further information about your area. They normally spray in the middle of the night to avoid disruption to pollinators and humans. https://www.orangecountyfl.net/familieshealthsocialsvcs/mosquitosafety.aspx#.Y074o6QpAWM
Wish they would be more specific to when exactly, time, day of week and date they would spray this crap! I happen to be very allergic to this insecticide for mosquitoes.
So not knowing EXACTLY, when and areas they would be spraying could catch me outside during that time.
I loathe it when they ARE NOT SPECIFIC about such things. Nor do they state how long before we could return outdoors after the spraying has been completed, or even how long it takes to spray a specific area.
Extremely careless on their part. I AM NOT going to stay in my home every day because I don’t know when they will be spraying our area.
We walk everywhere we go, no vehicle, so it is ridiculous NOT to be specific when the spraying is going to occur.
If I’d happen to be caught outside, then it is a DEFINITE trip to the hospital for me.
And I know I’m not the only person highly allergic to this crap they will be spraying.