TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay residents will hopefully see and feel fewer mosquitos when they're enjoying their time outside as officials are spraying insecticides overnight to control the population.
The Hillsborough County Mosquito Management Services are spraying the insecticide by air between 9 p.m. Saturday and 6 a.m. Sunday across South Tampa. The area will encompass more than 17,000 acres. The spraying will start at Swann Avenue and go south to Old Tampa Bay.
The spraying is happening after it was canceled last week.
This comes during a rise in Dengue fever cases in Florida. The mosquito-borne disease can be painful and debilitated with symptoms of fever, headache, eye pain, muscle and joint pain and bleeding, according to the Florida Department of Health.
While there is no specific treatment for dengue, the World Health Organization says symptoms are usually treated with pain medicine.
Florida has the highest number of cases in the United States with Hillsborough having 15 reported and Pinellas County having one to four reported cases. Pasco and Hernando Counties also have one to four cases reported. Miami-Dade County has the highest number of reported cases in the state with 100, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
To avoid Dengue and help control the mosquito population in general, residents should drain water in areas like kiddie pools or old tires, cover with clothing and use insect repellents.
