Monday, June 7, 2010 - County Recognizes National Mosquito Control Awareness Week

The St. Lucie County Mosquito Control District will join hundreds of other counties in recognizing the 14th Annual National Mosquito Control Awareness Week, running June 20-26.

Established by the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA), Mosquito Control Awareness Week is designed to educate the general public about the significance of mosquito districts in their daily lives and the important service provided by mosquito control workers throughout the United States and worldwide. 

St. Lucie County's Mosquito Control District, founded in 1927 through an Act of the Florida Legislature, manages more than 4,000 acres of coastal salt marshes, using water control practices that mimic natural tidal inundation.  This process, known as "Rotational Impoundment Management," is accomplished by pumping more than 65 billion gallons of water annually into the wetlands to help reduce 90 percent of the coastal wetlands' mosquito population without the need to use chemicals; to control exotic plants; and to provide nursery habitat for marine fish and other species of marine life. These coastal wetlands have been converted to preserves/parks and are opened to the public for passive recreation, including: hiking, biking, fishing, kayaking and bird watching.

During the summer months, regular chemical treatments follow careful monitoring of mosquito populations inland.  Disease monitoring is also performed, in association with the County Health Unit and the State Laboratory in Tampa. It is very important that residents recognize the key role they play in effective mosquito control.  They should be proactive in reducing mosquito populations in their yards, by eliminating standing water, and personal protective measures, such as using repellent, and wearing long sleeves and long pants, should be taken by all, when enjoying our wonderful outdoors in the evenings.

The AMCA, an international organization of nearly 2,000 public health professionals, has been dedicated to preserving the public's health and well-being through safe, environmentally sound mosquito control programs since 1935.