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Seasonal Nuisance, Mosquitoes, Returning

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By Carl  Orth | The Suncoast News

Published: June 21, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - The mosquito season is here and recent heavy rainfall in the Trinity and Hudson area is prompting action from the Pasco Mosquito Control District.

Mosquitoes thrive on standing water to breed, and some isolated spots in West Pasco picked up as much as 4.5 inches of rain last week, according to Dennis Moore, the district's director.

"Both copters were out pretty steady" Monday and Tuesday, Moore said. The aircraft were spraying chemicals to keep areas of stagnant water from recent downpours from becoming mosquito breeding grounds.

That storm water, however, might seep fairly quickly into the ground because the precipitation followed a dry spell in May. That might keep the numbers of mosquitoes down in coming weeks.

"The weather is so variable," Moore observed. "We had a pretty wet spring." Ordinarily, spring months are relatively dry.

"April was a very busy month for us this year," Moore continued.

The mosquito district dispatched its two planes on night missions nine times so far this year - five times in April alone - to treat the areas infested the worst with the pests.

Florida's rainy season usually kicks in about mid-June, Moore pointed out, so it's right on time this year.

"You flip a switch and the (weather) system is charged and the rains begin," Moore said.

The mosquito district also has a fleet of some 30 trucks to help find and spray areas where mosquitoes thrive.

In the meantime, Moore is waiting for final property value numbers to determine the impact on the mosquito control district budget. With the doubling of the homestead exemption, Moore has been told to expect total property values in Pasco to drop about $3 billion.

The district, which is overseen by an elected three-member board, operates independently from Pasco County government and has its own taxing authority.

This fiscal year the district, which has 26 full-time employees and 15 part-time workers, is operating on a budget of about $4 million.

"Any capital projects would be reduced to a bare minimum," Moore said about possible budget cutbacks that might be needed to offset a decrease in property tax revenue in the district's 2009 fiscal year.

For information call 727-376-4568, or go online to http://www.pascomosquito.org/>.

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