Sound science used to protect Collier from mosquitoes – in Naples Daily News

In response to the letter about the Collier Mosquito Control District published September 9, I’d like to set the record straight as a sitting commissioner. It is disappointing that misinformation is being spread to advance a political campaign.

The Collier Mosquito Control District (CMCD) uses an Integrated Mosquito Management (IMM) approach. There is no single method for controlling mosquitoes. The District combines surveillance, education, larviciding, adult mosquito control, biological control such as mosquitofish, and other science-based strategies to protect public health and quality of life.

Whenever possible, we target mosquitoes before they become flying, biting adults. However, Collier County has some of the most significant mosquito problems in the country. We live in a unique and beautiful environment surrounded by vast areas of state and federal public lands containing some of the most productive mosquito habitats in Florida. Protected wetlands, mangroves and salt marshes can produce enormous numbers of mosquitoes, while treatment on many of these lands is restricted or prohibited.

Salt marsh mosquitoes are particularly challenging. They can emerge in extraordinary numbers and are exceptionally strong fliers, capable of traveling many miles, sometimes as far as 60 miles with favorable winds, in search of a blood meal. Mosquitoes produced beyond areas CMCD can legally or practically treat can quickly migrate into residential neighborhoods. Our geography is one of the things that makes Collier County special, but it also creates mosquito control challenges few communities experience at the same scale.

Claims that the District applies “millions of gallons of neurotoxin” simply do not match the facts. During FY 2024–25, one of Collier County’s heaviest mosquito seasons in nearly a decade, CMCD applied less than 5,000 gallons of Dibrom and approximately 6,000 gallons of Duet HD across the entire District.

More importantly, CMCD has significantly increased its emphasis on larval control. In FY 2024–25, the District applied nearly 200,000 pounds of larvicide and conducted 856 larvicide missions, compared with 178 adulticide missions. CMCD also distributed more than 16,000 mosquitofish to control mosquito larvae in suitable aquatic habitats. More than half of the District’s mosquito control materials budget is dedicated to larvicides, including biological microbial larvicides.

CMCD uses helicopters, drones, ground equipment and precision application technology to target mosquito producing habitats when and where treatment is appropriate. Over the past decade, the District has expanded larval and biological control, increased its use of organic mosquito control materials, reduced reliance on organophosphate insecticides, and invested in improved surveillance and technology.

Adult mosquito control remains an important public health tool, particularly when mosquito populations become excessive or disease risk increases, but it is only one component of a much broader management program.

Most importantly, CMCD’s decisions are based on scientific evidence, not popularity or online trends. We do not promote unproven methods simply because they are labeled “natural” or “environmentally friendly.” Unproven methods can create a false sense of protection and distract residents from strategies proven effective at reducing mosquitoes and mosquito-borne disease risk.

As commissioners, we have a responsibility to protect public health, use taxpayer resources responsibly, and continually improve how we control mosquitoes. That responsibility requires us to follow the science and use proven methods to keep residents safe from the threats posed by mosquitoes.

CMCD does not simply “spray neurotoxins.” We monitor mosquito populations, identify where mosquitoes are coming from, target larvae whenever possible, use biological control where appropriate, and treat adult mosquitoes when surveillance demonstrates a need. Our goal is simple: Use the right tool, in the right place, at the right time to responsibly protect the health and quality of life of Collier County residents.