SANIBEL, Fla. — Have you ever seen 1 million mosquitoes in one place?
A recent Facebook post from Florida experts is generating some buzz.
The Lee County Mosquito Control District shared photos from a trapping project it did in one part of a neighborhood last summer on Sanibel Island.
The Florida Legislature established the control district in 1958. It was part of a larger effort to reduce the threats mosquitoes can pose by carrying diseases.
In the years since its creation, the district has worked to control mosquito populations by limiting their habitats. By restricting the number of aquatic mosquitoes, the agency can limit the number of mosquitoes that mature into flying and biting adults.
"[We] monitor adult mosquito activity throughout Lee County each night from May through October and initiate adult control operations when surveillance thresholds are met or mosquito borne disease become a threat to Lee County citizens," the district explains on its website.
Mosquito control efforts present unique challenges in the Sunshine State. Lee County's salt marsh and wetlands make for some of the best breeding grounds on our planet. And, the control district says it has to work within "a complex regulatory framework" of local, state and federal laws governing how mosquito control efforts can be safely carried out.
According to the Florida Department of Health, there are more than 80 species of mosquitoes in Florida. That's nothing compared to the 3,500 species that exist worldwide. However, the state says several of the mosquitoes found in Florida are capable of carrying and transmitting pathogens that can harm humans and animals.
Over time, mosquito-borne diseases detected in Florida have included chikungunya, dengue, Zika, and West Nile fever and encephalitis – among others. Click here for a guide to mosquitoes and control efforts across the state.