BRAZORIA COUNTY, Texas — It’s mosquito season and many of us know how they like to come out of the woodwork at this time of year. So, we got an up-close look at how surrounding counties are fighting off these flying pests.
The first stop was Brazoria County. We followed crews on the road scoping out hot spots for mosquitoes.
“They go out. They take landing rate counts,” said Fran Henderson, director of the mosquito control district for Brazoria County.
Brazoria County, like other coastal counties in Texas, including Galveston, has a dedicated mosquito control district.
“We protect the health of the residents of Brazoria County, and we try to educate,” Henderson said.
From April to November, sometimes later, crews are out trying to strike where mosquitos multiply the most.
“Any little bit of water breeds mosquitos," Henderson said. "That’s the number one thing residents can help with is that they keep their containers drained."
There are pockets of water spread out, with the county’s most aggressive mosquitoes traveling at 20 miles of flight range.
“If they take a dip and there’s 100 mosquito larvae and a lot of water out there, then that tells us we are going to have a good hatch off,” Henderson said.
As crews were surveying, they found a spot near the wildlife center with no baby mosquitos -- yet.
"Surveying helps crews get an idea of where an influx of mosquitoes is breeding," Henderson said. "And it’s working here in Brazoria County. In the last year, they’ve had zero human cases of West Nile virus reported. We are proactive. We try to eliminate the sources."
By treating storm drains, ditches, and areas that hold water with a product that helps stop or slow down the growth of unhatched mosquitos.
On top of that Brazoria County hires more staff in the summer to help keep the mosquito population as low as possible.
“We get people that call us and thank us for coming out,” Henderson said.
Fort Bend and Harris counties met with Brazoria County recently to share information on mosquito control.