Prevent The Spread of Mosquitoes

Stop mosquitoes from living and multiplying around your home. With the rainy season about to get underway, it is important that homeowners ensure that there are no areas around their home with any standing water. Drain water from your units rain gutters if you have them, kiddie pools, coolers, toys, flower pots, jugs or any other containers where water has collected. It is especially important to make sure to discard any bottles, cans, pots or any other items that aren't being used that could potentially collect water. If you have a bird bath or fountain, flush out the water every couple of days. If you have bromeliads or other plants that can collect enough water in which mosquitoes can lay eggs, you should also flush them once a week with a stream of water or sprinkle commercially available Bti "bits" in your plants. You can also place 1 drop of cooking oil every 20 days in a bromeliad's cup which will smother mosquito larvae. Homeowners should perform these checks of their homes at least once a week. Homeowners renting out their units need to ensure that their tenants are performing those checks for them.

This year there have been many stories concerning the Zika virus outbreak which is of particular concern to pregnant women & their unborn child. The mosquito transmitting this disease is the same one known to infect folks with west nile, encephalitis, dengue and chikungunya as well as heartworm in dogs and cats. In Miami Dade County there have been 45 reported cases of the disease from folks who had traveled out of the country. In response to these concerns, on May 17th the Miami-Dade County Commission passed a Zika ordinance which gives the county the authority to cite property owners for any standing water violations two days after they receive a warning. If the county is forced to enter upon your property to take care of the issue for you, the homeowner would be liable for the costs of removing any mosquito breeding ground from your property and Miami-Dade County can then place a lien on your property to recover those costs as allowed under the ordinance.

If you feel that you are experiencing a mosquito nuisance, you are encouraged to report the problem by calling 311 or online by Clicking Here, then select Property and choose Mosquitoes from the drop-down menu.