CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — After all the recent rain in the Coastal Bend, you might notice an influx of mosquitoes around town.
Experts say when water pools, that is where their eggs are and eventually mosquitoes will come. However, the City of Corpus Christi Vector Control prepares for these moments and is already out in the community taking action.
Some mosquitoes carry diseases and Vector Control works to prevent them from getting to humans.
"We start with areas that we know historically have a higher count of mosquito breeding grounds," Dr. Dante Gonzalez with the Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District said. "Anywhere there is heavily wooded or anywhere that there is a little more vegetation."
Gonzalez said Vector Control works to control the mosquito population. One way is by using dunks, which prevent mosquito larvae from becoming adults. Another way is using foggers attached to trucks at night. He explained which types of mosquitoes are in Corpus Christi.
"The family of Aedes and Culex, those different two types of mosquitoes are the ones that are out there," Gonzales said. "They're the ones that we're trying to control, because those are the mosquitoes that will carry the diseases."
Vector Control does not need a different pesticide for each type of mosquito, Gonzalez said. They use one type for adult mosquitoes and another type for larvicide.
"We do try to rotate it periodically, just so that we don't get resistance to that particular pesticide," Gonzalez said.
Vector Control also traps live mosquitoes and sends them to Austin for testing. Gonzalez said a report gives information about potentially harmful viruses that mosquitoes have. They then spray the location where those mosquitoes were found consistently for three days.
He recommends that anyone who gets bit and notices something does not feel right goes to see their doctor.
"If you are out there and, you know, you got bit by a mosquito and you start feeling sick, make sure that you go to your doctor," Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said the public can also help control the mosquito population, such as keeping the lawn cut to reduce their breeding grounds.