Broward County residents in Fort Lauderdale should prepare for increased aerial activity this coming week — but it’s all for a good cause. From May 19 to May 23, mosquito control operations will be underway, as officials begin spraying larvicide to combat disease-carrying mosquitoes. The focus is on the infamous Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus species, known vectors of dengue, yellow fever, and chikungunya, as per the county’s news release.
The nocturnal efforts, scheduled between 10 PM and 6 AM, aim to proactively target mosquito larvae, as they lurk in mundane objects from birdbaths to the water caught in traveler’s palms, the trucks loaded with VectoBac WDG – a tool approved by the World Health Organization and endorsed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will roam the streets, delivering their payload and withstanding the volatility of unforeseen weather conditions or other disruptive occurrences, as detailed by the Broward County release.
The larvicide in question stacks a naturally occurring bacterial strain, Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), and besides the declaration that it’s unharmful to humans, pets, and the bulk of the local ecosystem, it’s also gotten a nod from the Organic Materials Review Institute. Moreover, the county’s Mosquito Control Section is teaming up with the Florida Department of Health and Code Enforcement as part of a coordinated effort across all 31 cities in Broward County…