How Tropical Storm Debbie Impacted Mosquito Population in Hilton Head
Living in a tropical oasis like Florida or a subtropical one like Georgia, you have to take the good with the bad. Lengthy summers, more sunny days than not and enough stunning beaches to visit a new one every week balance out the potential for hurricanes or tropical storms doing damage to your property. These types of storms could not only wreak havoc on your property, but the aftermath involves more than cleaning up your outdoor furniture. Learn about Tropical Storm Debby, how these types of weather conditions affect the mosquito population and what you can do to protect yourself.
Tropical Storm Debby
Tropical Storm Debby first hit the Big Bend area of Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on August 5, 2024. As it moved along Southeastern Georgia, it lessened to a tropical storm, then went on to hit the coastal area of South Carolina by Charleston and Georgetown. The next stop for it was the South Carolina and North Carolina border on August 8, where it was downgraded to a tropical depression before its final journey as a non-tropical low-pressure system.
During the days the tropical storm was on its journey, it did the most damage to Southeastern North Carolina and Northeastern South Carolina, bringing heavy rain, tropical storm winds, some minor coastal flooding and flash and river flooding. In the mix of all of that were three weaker tornados in the area of Pender County, North Carolina. The 55-mile-per-hour winds only downed some trees and took out some power lines.
Tropical Storms and Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes and other insects and bugs thrive in dark, moist conditions. It's where they breed and the ultimate spot to lay their eggs. Standing water is where mosquitoes breed, feed and lay eggs, which is why you always feel like you get bit up more when you are by water, walking along trails by creeks or are outside after it rains.
Whenever there is a storm or any weather conditions where moisture builds up in the air, you find little pools of water in anything from your outdoor furniture to your yard tools or children's toys. These tiny puddles of water are enough for mosquitoes and other insects to breed and lay eggs, creating a whole new population to take over your yard. When a hurricane or tropical storm rolls in, this happens on a much larger scale, especially if the city's sewage works cannot handle the influx of water.
Increase in Mosquito Breeding Grounds
The flooding and additional water Tropical Storm Debby brought created a variety of various sources of standing water for mosquitoes to breed and reproduce in. The increased amount of stagnant water sources in the form of flooded spots and puddles created prime conditions for mosquitoes to breed.
This increase in the number of breeding grounds equals a fast rate at which mosquitoes could reproduce, meaning the mosquito population explodes after such an event. The rise in mosquitoes isn't the sole issue, though. It's the increased mosquito population across such a broad scale. In this case, across multiple states along a section of the country that already sees a high number of mosquitoes.
Why an Increase in the Mosquito Population Matters
There are thousands of species of mosquitoes. And while not everyone can carry and transmit diseases, just over 9% do, with the Anopheles, Culex and Aedes being the main ones that infect humans and pets. Diseases and illnesses like Zika, Malaria, Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever and Chikungunya can be transmitted by just one infected mosquito's bite.
Since you have no idea which mosquito is carrying a disease when it bites you, the best preventative measure is to not get bit. When tropical storms or other weather brings additional water, and the mosquito population suddenly increases at such a rapid rate, your odds of getting bit go way up, which means your risk of one of those mosquitoes being a disease-carrying one is higher.
How to Protect Yourself After Severe Weather
You should take precautions against mosquitoes no matter what, any time of year, but when the weather has played a larger role in your chances of battling bug bites, you need to really defend yourself.
- Dump all standing water out around your yard
- Clear away any debris immediately
- Use bug spray with DEET when you go outside
- Contact a pest control company like MosquitoNix® in addition to the city spraying if you feel you need to
While you should do these things after every type of rainfall or storm, it's extremely important to be more thorough after a severe tropical storm or hurricane, as there will be more places you will have to check and more work your yard will be for it to get back to normal.
Basics start with checking your outdoor space for any standing water. This means pet bowls, furniture, toys and yard tools. Even the little puddles can be a vacation spot for pests. If the storm knocked any debris or garbage into your yard, clean it up as soon as possible to take away more spots for mosquitoes to lay eggs.
While the city should spray the area after a storm, if you feel like your yard or outdoor space didn't get proper coverage, contact a compassionate and experienced pest control company like MosquitoNix to help. We offer effective solutions like mosquito misting systems for ongoing protection and fogging treatments to quickly address localized infestations.
Thankfully, Tropical Storm Debby was a less violent storm than it could have been. But it still created the ultimate conditions for an influx of mosquitoes. Not only do homeowners and residents have to deal with the anxiety of a storm hitting so close to home, but the clean-up after is crucial not only to put their lives back together, but to also take away the added worry of disease-carrying mosquitoes taking over your outdoor space. Once you have accessed that everyone and everything is okay after a hurricane or tropical storm, walk your home and yard to make sure you take the steps to prevent mosquitoes from being the next disaster you'll have to deal with.
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