Setting aside the obvious, Florida’s year-round warm weather, there are several other factors that make The Treasure Coast and South Florida a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
The topography of South Florida: The physical characteristics of St Lucie and Martin County make an ideal place for breeding mosquitoes. Depressional marshes, flatwood ponds, shrub bogs, dome swamps, basin swamps, and wet prairies are all common topographic features in Florida and particularly along the Treasure Coast. These low-lying areas, formed by the soft limestone underlying the Florida peninsula, are idea breeding grounds for mosquitoes that must lay their eggs in still standing water.
Seasonal Rains: Though Port St Lucie and Stuart technically fall into the Köppen cfa Humid Subtropical Climate, they lie just north of the am Monsoon classification that begins around Jupiter, FL and extends down to Miami and the Keys. The main difference between these classifications is the monsoon climate has a less pronounced dry season than Humid Subtropical. Nevertheless, mosquitoes in both climates thrive and reproduce year-round.

“Florida, sir, is not worth buying. It is a land of swamps, of quagmires, of frogs and alligators and mosquitoes! A man, sir, would not immigrate into Florida. No, sir! No man would immigrate into Florida, no, not from hell itself!”
– Rep John Randolph of Virginia (1845)

“I would not trade one foot of Michigan or Ohio for one square mile of Florida swamp” – President Zachary Taylor

“…as of now, a waste of waters, fit only for the resort of reptiles…” – US Army General William Harney

Needless to say, the TripAdvisor reviews for Florida in the mid nineteenth century would have been pretty brutal. For much of Florida’s early history, it was a largely uninhabitable place. A refuge for outlaws, runaway slaves, and native Americans resisting forced relocation to reservations. It was a difficult existence for many reasons, not least of which were the mosquitoes and the diseases they carried. In no small part because of mosquitoes, Florida remained a largely backwater state until after Word War 2. Their threat to health and quality of life helped lead to the formation of the American Mosquito Control Association in 1935. In 1948 in held its first annual meeting in in Fort Pierce, Florida. The AMCA helps communities and government agencies with mosquitoes control programs and contributed significantly to mosquito control in Florida in the mid-20th century.

Most deaths attributed to mosquitoes are a result of their spreading of malaria. Malaria has largely been eradicated in the developed world; however other mosquito-borne diseases still persist.

Zika Virus: symptoms are typically mild but this disease is a particular concern for pregnant women as Zika can sometimes cause a disease called microcephaly. Microcephaly is a condition where a child is born with an unusually small head because the brain has not developed properly.

West Nile Virus: the leading mosquito borne illness in the U.S. West Nile Virus is typically mild for most people, but around 1 in 150 infected develop severe illness and sometimes death.

Chikungunya Virus: headache, fever, joint swelling and joint pain are the most common symptoms. Chikungunya disease can sometimes cause chronic symptoms long after the infection itself has passed. Most typically chronic joint pain. Though it is believed to have first evolved around 1700, the first case of transmission in the Americas was not documented until 2013. Within 1 year, there had been over 1 million infections in the Western Hemisphere.

Dengue: Similar symptoms to the other mosquito borne diseases though sever cases of Dengue can cause potential deadly hemorrhaging. Nearly 400 million people each year are infected with the Dengue Virus and around 22,000 people will die from severe infection.

It is easy to see why using 2 methods of mosquito control is better than one. Using the biological control enables consistent effects on mosquitos. It continues to kill mosquitos in their breeding grounds, ensuring minimal amounts of mosquitos year round.

The traditional mosquito method is the other part of our process. This utilizes traditional methods to almost immediately eliminate a great majority of the mosquitos. You will see results soon after and be able to enjoy your outdoor space once more.

One round covers residually and the other covers immediately. Ready to get started? Give us a call today to book an appointment!