ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Mosquito larvae in parts of St. Petersburg and Clearwater are about to be hit from above, as Pinellas County brings in Lee County Mosquito Control and its aircraft to slow a dengue outbreak that has not let up.
Pinellas does not have helicopters equipped for this kind of work, so the county turned to its Gulf Coast neighbor. Lee County could send up to four helicopters, and county spokesman Tony Fabrizio said flights could start as early as Friday. He described the treatment as very expensive.
The aircraft will fly low from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and drop Bti, a naturally occurring bacterium that kills larvae in standing water. It is the same active ingredient sold in mosquito dunks at hardware stores. County mosquito control spokesman Brian Pellerin said it targets only mosquitoes and black flies and is not harmful to people or pets. Residents who get misted can simply wash off with soap and water.
State health figures show Pinellas has logged 37 confirmed locally acquired dengue cases since August. Hillsborough County leads Florida with 310 cases, and the Tampa Bay region is above 350.
Exact flight zones are still being drawn because the Department of Health does not release case locations, but Fabrizio said downtown St. Pete will be included. Residents can sign up on the county website to be alerted before their neighborhood is treated.
Pinellas declared a local state of emergency in September and remains under it. Truck spraying continues daily, weather permitting, and crews are still going door to door to point out hidden breeding spots such as buckets, tires, pet bowls and bromeliads.
Filed under: St. Petersburg FL Health News