War against mosquitoes is underway in Florida after Hurricane Ian

Since Hurricane Ian, hordes of mosquitoes have proliferated in floodwaters. Florida officials have sophisticated, expensive strategies to control the insects.

First, the storm. Then, a plague of insects. 

Hordes of mosquitoes have proliferated in floodwater and debris left in Hurricane Ian’s wake, and now swarm Florida communities. 

State and local officials are waging a multimillion-dollar war against the bloodsucking insects — which are known to spread diseases like West Nile virus and St. Louis encephalitis  — as they try to keep residents safe and prevent the voracious insects from slowing down the recovery crews working to fix power lines and rebuild infrastructure. 

"The mosquitoes are out there, and they’re biting," said Eric Jackson, the deputy director of the Lee County Mosquito Control Division. "It is just a constant effort to knock down as many of those flying, adult mosquitoes as fast as we can." 

After the initial devastation from a hurricane or flood, other threats follow, including bacterial infections, respiratory diseases and illnesses spread by pests that proliferate in standing water. Mosquitoes are an expected, annoying and sometimes dangerous secondary consequence of a storm, one that can hinder rebuilding and raise the risk of an outbreak if left uncontrolled. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/war-mosquitoes-florida-hurricane-ian-rcna52828

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