Polk County Mosquito Control (PCMC) is responsible for designing and implementing programs to reduce mosquito populations throughout the County. The fundamental goal of the program is to keep mosquito populations below levels that are intolerable, cause damage, or increase risk of diseases such as WNV transmission in humans and domestic animals.

We accomplish this through a comprehensive integrated pest management program that utilizes a variety of control techniques accompanied with public education. This diversified approach offers superior mosquito control and gives the safety of our natural surroundings the utmost consideration.

The underlying reasons for controlling mosquito population include:

• Public Health: The goal of the mosquito control program is to reduce the risk of disease transmission to humans. Many different mosquito-borne diseases are endemic to Florida, including West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and St. Louis Encephalitis.
• Human Comfort: To alleviate the nuisance and annoyance of high mosquito infestation for Polk County residents and visitors.
• Socioeconomic: High mosquito infestation can have a negative impact on economic growth by altering the lifestyles of residents and visitors. In addition, extremely high levels of mosquitoes can decrease productivity and increase risk for those who work outdoors.  However, by keeping mosquito populations below intolerable levels, we help ensure the continued growth of tourism, outdoor recreation, and other businesses in Polk County.

The mosquito management policy of PCMC is based on the underlying principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) which follows scientific guidelines for surveillance, prevention, and control.  The primary goal of IPM is to construct effective, practical, and economically feasible pest prevention and control methodologies using a combination of available resources that will protect human health and the environment. Typical components of an IPM program include public education, larval and adult mosquito surveillance, predetermination of action thresholds, and implementation of effective mosquito control strategies.

Specific Services that we provide include:

Public Relation and Education
This is an essential component of any mosquito management program.  PCMC works with other County agencies, various media, State and Local Health officials, individuals, and community groups to educate the public on steps to take to eliminate breeding sites around the home and prevent mosquito bites.  (Contact us by telephone or e-mail if you would like us to speak at your next homeowner’s, neighborhood watch, or other civic meeting.)

Larval Surveillance and Control
PCMC’s Pest Management Program monitors and evaluates larval population on a regular basis around the County.  Non-chemical larvicides are used to control mosquitoes at this developmental stage.  PCMC utilizes both truck and airplane mounted equipment to disperse these materials.

Adult Mosquito Surveillance
To monitor the species and the relative abundance of mosquitoes in the 43 treatment zones of Polk County, 59 Centers for Disease Control mosquito traps around the county to help in this surveillance effort.  These traps are sampled at least once a week and mosquitoes are identified by species and counted to ascertain the abundance of each species.  (Each mosquito species has different biting and breeding habits.)  CDC traps are also frequently set to ascertain localized breeding problems. 

Virus Surveillance
In addition to monitoring arbovirus surveillance data of federal, state, and local health agencies.  PCMC has 10 gravid mosquito traps in place to collect samples weekly during periods of high mosquito-borne disease transmission.  These samples are then identified and tested for West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis, and/ or St. Lois Encephalitis.

Adulticiding
Controlling the adult mosquito population is an integral part of an effective integrated mosquito management program.  When the mosquito population becomes a nuisance and a threat to public health and socio-economic activities, steps are taken to drastically reduce the population to acceptable levels through the application mosquito adulticides, pesticides specifically geared toward killing adult mosquitoes.  PCMC utilizes both truck and airplane mounted spray equipment.