Hillsborough County will spray for adult mosquitoes from the air on Nov. 4-6. The work aims to stop the spread of dengue fever.
Contractors and Hillsborough County Mosquito Management Services will use airplanes between sunset and midnight, Wednesday through Friday. The planes will fly at 300 feet. They will treat about 225,000 acres from Carrollwood to FishHawk Ranch with Dibrom insecticide. The application rate is .66 ounces per acre.
The list of treated communities includes Brandon, Bloomingdale, Riverview and Mango/Seffner. It also includes Thonotosassa, Plant City, Dover, Gibsonton and Apollo Beach. Boyette, Progress Village and Fish Hawk are on the list too.
The county says this year has an unusually high number of dengue cases in humans and mosquitoes. County traps in many neighborhoods show dengue virus activity. The county works with the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County.
Low-flying helicopters will also treat standing water for mosquito larvae during the day. They will use liquid Bti, a naturally occurring bacterium. The county says it does not harm people, pets, fish, birds or beneficial insects. The daytime areas are Palm River and part of central Tampa.
The county asks residents to follow the 3 Ds:
- Dress in light-colored, long-sleeved clothing and closed-toed shoes.
- Defend with a repellent such as DEET, Picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
- Dump or cover standing water.
Hillsborough Solid Waste customers can drop off up to 12 tires a year at no cost. They can use any of the county's five collection sites. Residents can sign up for alerts about local aerial treatments.
