The Anastasia Mosquito Control District provides facts about mosquitoes and answers to common questions about mosquito control.
While we do not take spray requests, you can put in a service request by clicking the yellow “Request Service” button at the top of this page. After you fill out all the information, an MCT (Mosquito Control Technician) to your home to inspect your yard within 3 business days. Depending on what the MCT finds, they may give you suggestions on how to stop the issue, or they may find it necessary to treat your property. To see what happens during a service request, please watch this video.
Carbon dioxide is one of the main things that attracts mosquitoes. This means that mosquitoes are attracted to you breath. They can sense carbon dioxide form up to 35 meters (114 feet) away. Once mosquitoes get closer to their target, mosquitoes start to pick up on other things like body odor and body heat. Are you the person that mosquitoes seem to flock to even if there are other people around? This means that you might smell like a tastier meal than other people. Mosquitoes can have preferences when it comes to whom they bite.
AMCD does not spray on a set schedule. We only spray when mosquito populations in an area meet the State guidelines for treatment. AMCD conducts several on-going types of surveillance to quantify mosquito populations. When mosquito populations get too high, then we will spray. We ULV spray at night or early morning. Learn more about ULV spaying in Ground Operation. When we schedule a fog mission, we will post it to our Events page.
AMCD use the IPM (Integrated Pest Management) approach which is endorsed by the CDC and EPA. This means that, hear at AMCD, we utilize multiple different techniques to control mosquito populations. These techniques include, but are not limited to,
- Larval and adult mosquito sampling
- Source reduction
- Biological control
- Larviciding and adulticiding when necessary
- Resistance monitoring
- Disease surveillance in mosquitoes, birds, horses, and humans
- Public education
By utilizing these different techniques, we reduce the need for relying to heavily on chemical control, making a more environmentally friendly program.
Larviciding is controlling mosquitoes in their larval stage. Larvicides are applied directly to water sources that hold mosquito eggs and larva. Control of larval mosquitoes is the backbone of AMCD’s program. By focusing on killing mosquitoes during their larval stage, they will never emerge into adults and bite people. Thus, never transmitting mosquito-borne diseases. AMCD mainly uses a biological control for larviciding, called BTI. For more information about the products we use for larviciding.
Learn more information about the products we use for larviciding. »
Adulticiding is controlling mosquitoes in their adult stage. Adulticides are products that rapidly reduce adult mosquito populations. This can become necessary when larval control measures are insufficient or not feasible. Adulticiding may be initiated when there is evidence of significant populations of mosquitoes in a region, or if there is evidence of mosquito-borne disease transmission in St. Johns County. The most common method of adulticiding is ultra-low volume (ULV) spraying. ULV spraying is the process of putting very small amounts of liquid into the air as a fine mist of droplets. These droplets float on the air currents and quickly eliminate mosquitoes that come into contact with them. ULV adulticides are applied when mosquitoes are most active, typically early evening or pre-dawn. The ULV spray machines are mounted in aircraft, on truck beds, or as stand-alone equipment such as backpack sprayers or handler sprayers. For more information about the products we use for adulticiding.
Learn more about the products we use for adulticiding. »
Since its inception, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has regulated mosquito control through enforcement of standards instituted by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. This legislation mandated documentation of extensive testing for public health insecticides according to EPA guidelines prior to their registration and use. These data requirements are among the most stringent in the federal government and are met through research by established scientists in federal, state and private institutions. This process ensures that the public health insecticides available for mosquito control do not represent health or environmental risks when used as directed. The dosages at which these products are legally dispensed are at least 100-fold less than the point at which public health and environmental safety merit consideration. In point of fact, literature posted on the websites of the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), American Association of Pesticide Safety Educators and National Pesticide Information Center emphasizes that proper use of mosquitocides by established mosquito control agencies does not put the general public or the environment at unreasonable risk from runoff, leaching or drift when used according to label specifications.
Learn more the federal government’s position on risks associated with mosquito control insecticides. »
AMCD does not spray for any other insect. All of our treatment decisions are based solely on mosquito populations.
Probably not. Mosquitoes prefer to rest in vegetation during the day. Midges or “Blind mosquitoes” are more likely to swarm on the side of homes than mosquitoes. Midges look very similar to mosquitoes but there are some key differences in their appearance. Watch this video to learn how to tell the difference between Midges and mosquitoes.
It is against State regulations to spray for mosquitoes without scientific data to show treatment for adult mosquitoes is justified. If AMCD is notified of the location, date, and time the event is to be held, at least 3 working days in advance of the event, various methods of surveillance can be done in that area to determine if treatment can be justified. Please call 904-471-3107 or use the yellow “Service Request” button at the top of the page.
AMCD maintains a notification list. If you are put on this list, we will let you know when we are spraying, and we will do our best to turn off our machines when passing by your property. To be put on this list, please send an email including your name, phone number, and address to rweaveramcd@bellshouth.net or call us at (904) 471-3107.