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ORLANDO, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - If you’re feeling swarmed by mosquitoes lately, experts say it’s because there may be way more of them than usual right now.
The owners of Mosquito Joe pest control in Orlando said they’ve been dealing with non-stop calls to spray for the bugs, thanks heavily to the recent rebound from drought conditions.
"Those mosquitoes before the drought laid eggs,” said owner Gabriella Brizendine. “Well those eggs didn't have enough water to mature and hatch."
However, Brizendine said unlike popular belief, the eggs don’t die from lack of water they just go dormant. This year they had about five months of dry conditions to sit waiting.
"Well now we've had so much rain all those old eggs are hatching plus the new cycle of mosquitoes that are breeding right now, so we're getting double the mosquito active right now,” said Brizendine.
The population boom is clear as county leaders across Central Florida are already aggressively launching their mosquito control programs. Along with ground and air spraying throughout the area, some counties are trying new methods to fight the bite as well. Orange County officials said they have started deploying a type of fish throughout the county that feeds on mosquito larvae.
The Mosquito Joe team expects the mosquito population to continue strong throughout the summer. They advise clients to help them combat the bugs by draining standing water after rain storms.