Tampa’s Mosquito Problem Among Worst In Nation

TAMPA, FL -- They’re the menace at every cookout. The uninvited guest who arrives early and refuses to leave. We’re talking, of course, about mosquitoes, the flying bloodsuckers whose bites are as annoying as they are itchy.

Worst of all, Tampa is listed among the metro areas with the worst mosquito problem in the nation by the pest control company Orkin. The company released its annual rankings Monday. The findings were based on the number of mosquito customers served from April 1, 2018, to March 31, 2019.

Tampa ranked 18th worst in the country, just behind Nashville and ahead of Indianapolis For the sixth consecutive year, Atlanta earned the miserable honor of worst cities for mosquitoes, followed by New York and Washington, D.C.

Orkin’s Top 50 Mosquito Cities list:

1. Atlanta
2. New York
3. Washington, D.C.
4. Chicago
5. Houston
6. Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
7. Detroit
8. Philadelphia
9. Charlotte, N.C.
10. Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
11. Phoenix
12. Los Angeles
13. Boston
14. Miami
15. Baltimore
16. Richmond, Va.
17. Nashville, Tenn.
18. Tampa
19. Indianapolis
20. St. Louis
21. Norfolk, Va.
22. Orlando
23. Greenville, S.C.
24. Denver
25. Kansas City
26. Tulsa, Okla.
27. Minneapolis
28. Albany, N.Y.
29. Grand Rapids, Mich.
30. Memphis
31. Oklahoma City
32. New Orleans
33. Cleveland, Ohio
34. Lafayette, La.
35. Burlington, N.Y.
36. Mobile, Ala.
37. Milwaukee
38. Austin, Texas
39. Knoxville, Tenn.
40. Cincinnati
41. San Antonio, Texas
42. West Palm Beach, Fla.
43. Greensboro, N.C.
44. Hartford, Conn.
45. Savannah, Ga.
46. Jacksonville, Fla.
47. Baton Rouge, La.
48. Amarillo, Texas
49. Madison, Wis.
50. Charleston, S.C.

Mosquito season begins when spring temperatures arrive, Orkin said. The pests are most active when temperatures climb above 80 degrees, with breeding season occurring July through September. Entomologist Mark Beavers noted in a news release that mosquitoes aren’t only annoying, they can be a major health threat.

“Mosquito-borne diseases such as West Nile virus, encephalitides, dengue, chikungunya and, for those who may remember, Zika, threaten the safety of humans and pets,” he said.

Federal health officials agree. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mosquito bites can cause sickness or even death, though most are just a nuisance.

To prevent mosquito bites — and those irritating red bumps that inevitably follow — the CDC suggests using insect repellent that contains DEET, picaridin, ir3535, lemon eucalyptus oil, para-menthane-diol or 2-undecanone. Other options include wearing long sleeves and pants or using air-conditioning or window and door screens.

To prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs inside and outside your home, try to keep items from collecting standing water.

“Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover or throw out containers that hold water,” the CDC said. This includes vases, pet water bowls, flowerpot saucers, discarded tires, buckets, pool covers, birdbaths, trash cans and rain barrels.

These steps can help reduce the mosquito population in and around homes. If you’re unable to seal off your home, the CDC offers up a less-than-glamorous tip: “Sleep under a mosquito bed net.”

Patch national staffer Dan Hampton contributed to this report.