South Tampa trap caught 18,000 mosquitoes, last month just 142

TAMPA, Fla. - Hillsborough County conducted aerial spraying early Thursday to treat a growing mosquito population – a sudden influx that’s tied to the Bay Area’s recent drought. 

South Tampa trap numbers

By the numbers:

In June, one trap in South Tampa collected 142 mosquitoes. But when crews checked that same trap on Tuesday, there were 18,000. 

"That's pretty large," Gabriela Henderson, community relations coordinator for Hillsborough County Mosquito Management, told FOX 13. "Might see a couple of thousands, but a jump of that size is intense. It broke records from last year when we had a bit of a drought and then some rain.

She said the average trap size this time of year is normally four to six-thousand mosquitoes. 

"We've been getting a ton of calls from around the county, but specifically South Tampa and the coastal areas have been a huge issue right now," she added. 

Drought triggers hatching surge

The backstory:

Mosquitoes lay their eggs in the soil, but they require water to kickstart their life cycle and transition from eggs to flying adults. 

So, before all our recent rain, mosquitoes have just been laying eggs and laying eggs.

"And without that rain, we had not seen what we call hatch-offs until very recently," Henderson said. "With all of these sudden rains and lots and lots of water, we are now seeing mosquitoes hatch out from that damp soil."

Aerial spraying and testing

What's next:

To combat the insects, crews conducted aerial spraying south of Gandy early Thursday morning. More spraying is planned for Friday. 

As for the 18,000 mosquitoes caught in that South Tampa trap, they were sorted in the county’s lab and sent off for disease testing. 

"There are about 40 to 50 species in Hillsborough County. Fortunately, not all 40 and 50 are like humans, thank goodness. Just about seven of those are what we're concerned about for disease. However, seven species are still thousands and millions of mosquitoes. So, we do our best to figure out what's in each trap, and we send them out for testing," Henderson explained. 

Scientists, including the county’s senior environmental scientist, Paolo Pecora, are also studying the insects at their various stages in the county’s lab to ensure current treatments are working and that these insects haven't built up resistance. 

"This is the kind of science that worked. It gives us a snapshot of what's going on out there. That way, we can effectively treat these species that are extremely annoying," Pecora said. "That is annoying not only our residents but our parks, our outside walkers, dogs, cats, birds. So, we can have a better quality of life."

Disease testing results pending

What we don't know:

Officials have not yet confirmed if the 18,000 mosquitoes sent for testing carry any diseases. It remains unknown when the results of those specific tests will be available to the public. 

Feel like your Hillsborough County neighborhood needs to be sprayed? Want to look at the county’s online spraying map? Click here.