14-02-2025
Could bat houses destroyed by hurricanes mean more mosquitoes this summer?
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — Driving by Mini Park in the Shore Acres neighborhood of St. Petersburg, you may notice the pretty greenery and playground, but there's also a wooden stake.
At the top of that stake is a bat house. If you take a really close look during the day, you can even see a few bats inside.
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'Unfortunately, during Helene, and it was really Milton that brought all the wind, some of the bat houses were damaged, destroyed, knocked down all together,' Shore Acres Civic Association President Kevin Batdorf said.
So what is that going to mean for mosquito season?
News Channel 8 went to Pinellas County Mosquito Control to find out.
'We always here at mosquito control try and support bats, put up bat houses, things like that,' Alissa Berro, section manager for Pinellas County Mosquito Control and Vegetative Management said. 'But one of the things I think is a misconception is bats are not specific to eating just mosquitos.'
Berro said bats do help control mosquito populations by eating them, but she says bats are opportunistic feeders and don't solely target mosquitoes, so they're not going to completely eliminate a mosquito problem in a given area.
But Berro said the problem is that isn't the only way the hurricanes may affect the number of mosquitoes this summer.
Her biggest concern surrounds untreated pools.
'Especially any time you have stagnant water, especially when you have a pool with a pump that isn't working, you're going to have a lot of stagnant water,' she said.
Berro explained that stagnant water is a breeding ground for mosquitos.
In addition to plenty of stagnant water in untreated pools, Berro said there's another way hurricane damage can lead to even more standing water, which means, more mosquitoes.
'Typically, we talk about bird baths and things like that, but a lot of the construction debris, if it has a lot of indentation, those can all support mosquito breeding,' she said.
Pool owners can call 727-464-7503 to request mosquitofish.
A technician will come to your home to ensure the best placement of the fish and attend to any other mosquito issues you may have free of cost.
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