What you need to know about local aerial mosquito spray missions

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services is working to try and stop the spread of malaria.

They are targeting anopheles mosquitos through aerial missions and missions on-foot. Anopheles are the primary genus of mosquito that carries malaria, and they have been present in north Sarasota recently.

The county has conducted six spray missions over the last two weeks, covering about two square miles after two local cases of malaria were confirmed.

Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services manager, Wade Brennan says this spray won’t harm residents or their plants.

“Definitely not, not even other insects. Even the very next day if [mosquitos] are flying through that area it’s not going to harm them. It’s strictly a contact killer to mosquitos who are flying through that area at that time,” says Brennan.

They are spraying common pesticides including Sumithrin and Permethrin in very small droplets which break down in about 30 minutes, not posing any threat to anything other than the mosquitos that come in contact with it.

For more information on future spray missions the county will be conducting, click here. To sign up for spray mission alerts, click here and select “mosquito management alerts.”

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