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Pools At Foreclosed Homes Can Breed Mosquito Problems
Tribune file photo (2007)
Donnie Hayes, with the Hillsborough County Mosquito Control, lets several adult mosquitos land on him while taking a count in 2007.
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Published: June 24, 2008
TAMPA - An increasing number of homeowners forced to abandon their houses is creating a rising number of backyard swimming pools turning into green mosquito nurseries.
Hillsborough County Code Enforcement officers are encountering more swimming pools of foreclosed homes, said Bill Langford with the county's code enforcement.
The booming bug population isn't a problem for the vanished homeowners but leaves neighbors facing another source of the biting pests that are plentiful enough without the pool breeding grounds.
Unfortunately for the neighbors of a backyard mosquito Club Med, there isn't much the county's Mosquito Control Section can do, said director Carlos Fernandes.
Mosquito control workers aren't allowed on private property without an owner's permission and cannot inspect a neighbor's pool if the house is vacant.
You can still call the county mosquito control office with a complaint, he said, and an inspector will come to your house and set up a mosquito trap.
In 24 hours, the inspector will count the number of mosquitoes the trap snared. If it is an abnormally large number, mosquito control will contact the county Health Department, which may be able to go on the vacant property.
Sometimes a bank will cooperate if it has taken possession of a house, Fernandes said.
Even if mosquito control workers can get access to the swimming pool, their treatment options are limited. Since larvicide could damage the pool, the workers will put mosquito fish in the water.
The small guppy-like fish devour larvae and reduce the number of mosquitoes that hatch in the pool.
Even without the addition of swimming pools as mosquito breeding grounds, residents can brace for the summer onslaught, possibly around the July 4 holiday weekend.
This morning, county inspectors had 40 complaints to investigate. Wednesday morning they will have 50, Fernandes said.
Summer rains are well into their regular schedule and water is standing in ponds and ditches. This weekend's rain could be the boost needed to get mosquito season rolling.
The bugs need only about 10 days to two weeks to go from egg to biting nuisance.
Fernandes said most mosquitoes homeowners are encountering now probably are homegrown or come from neighbors.
Called container mosquitoes, these breed quickly, even in small amounts of water. They don't fly far and like to nip at ankles.
Fernandes said these types have evolved well to live among people. They have a soft bite and require little water to breed.
The county mosquito control has advice on how to reduce your chance of becoming a mosquito snack:
Empty mosquito-breeding containers such as cans, tires, saucers under flower pots, pet dishes, buckets, and bird baths.
Regularly rinse bromeliad plants in your yard with a garden hose to wash away mosquito larvae. Water collected in one bromeliad can produce 100 mosquitoes a year.
Keep gutters clean to prevent water from accumulating.
If you have a mosquito problem, call (813) 635-5400 and ask for service. An inspector will come to your home and schedule treatment if necessary as well as offer advice to reduce the mosquito problem.
News channel 8 reporter Jeff Patterson contributed to this report. Contact reporter Neil Johnson at (813) 259-7731 or njohnson@tampatrib.com.
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