South Florida has a new pest, a mosquito known as Aedes scapularis, which has been flagged in a study from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
The mosquito has become widespread in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, and like all mosquitos, it can spread disease. This one is known for its ability to transmit yellow fever to humans, heartworms to dogs and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus to horses.
This mosquito gravitates to water and coastal areas, which makes Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties an optimal environment.
“At least 16 Florida counties were predicted to be highly suitable for Aedes scapularis, suggesting that vigilance is needed by mosquito control and public health agencies to recognize the further spread of this vector,” said Lawrence Reeves, a research scientist at UF/IFAS in Vero Beach, who co-authored the report.
The mosquito has been located in areas bordering the Gulf of Mexico, including coastal areas of the U.S. Gulf states, mainland Florida, and parts of the Caribbean and South America.
Photos by Getty Images
South Florida has a new pest, a mosquito known as Aedes scapularis, which has been flagged in a study from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
The mosquito has become widespread in Broward and Miami-Dade counties, and like all mosquitos, it can spread disease. This one is known for its ability to transmit yellow fever to humans, heartworms to dogs and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus to horses.
This mosquito gravitates to water and coastal areas, which makes Broward, Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties an optimal environment.
“At least 16 Florida counties were predicted to be highly suitable for Aedes scapularis, suggesting that vigilance is needed by mosquito control and public health agencies to recognize the further spread of this vector,” said Lawrence Reeves, a research scientist at UF/IFAS in Vero Beach, who co-authored the report.
The mosquito has been located in areas bordering the Gulf of Mexico, including coastal areas of the U.S. Gulf states, mainland Florida, and parts of the Caribbean and South America.
Photos by Getty Images