WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – There’s a problem swarming in New Hanover County: an infestation of mosquitos. They’re everywhere, and the pesky insects are more than annoying as they buzz in your ear. Mosquitoes can spread serious diseases.

“Right now we are seeing a very elevated amount of mosquitoes in our traps compared to the previous portion of the season,” said Jeff Suggs, the environmental health supervisor for New Hanover County.

Suggs says Tropical Storm Debby did not do any favors when it comes to mosquitoes. He says before the flooding events caused by Debby, the county was seeing a low number of reported mosquitoes this summer season.

He explains that mosquitoes breed in standing water.

“They’re bad, worse than normal, since the storm’s come,” said Robert Sanderson.

Sanderson walks Greenfield Park often and says he has seen a noticeable difference in the number of mosquitoes.

“It stings and it’s itchy,” said Emoni Temoney, another neighbor simply trying to enjoy Greenfield Park.

Instead, people like Sanderson and Temoney are trying to fight the bite.

“We got some areas that had not seen a lot of water in a long time, that flooded out, and it produced a salt marsh mosquito hatch,” said Suggs.

He says his team is now trying to get rid of the hatch that Tropical Storm Debby brought to the region by spraying the areas that need it most with mosquito control.

That includes areas like Sunset Park, the Greenfield Park region and downtown Wilmington.

Suggs says it’s important to make sure that people aren’t breeding mosquitoes.

“Check around your property. Look for tarps, clogged gutters, children’s toys, things such as that. Anything that can hold that standing water can be a potential breeding source. Eliminate that. That’s going to be half your battle,” said Suggs.

Luckily, Suggs says all the mosquitoes they’ve caught have been tested for diseases like the West Nile Virus and not one has come back positive.

But aside from disease, they’re simply a pure nuisance.

“Particularly after this storm, I was covered, I was uncomfortable. I couldn’t finish what I was talking about Greenfield Lake before I said, ‘Oh, we have to move because everyone’s very uncomfortable and getting eaten up’,” said Ian Grace, who gives bike tours throughout the park.

To avoid being bitten altogether, Suggs says to wear bug spray, long sleeves and pants.

Suggs believes the number of mosquitoes will dwindle because of the county’s spraying efforts and the natural cycle of life..

Mosquito Control is going through and spraying several areas around the county this week. The schedule can be found below.

Copyright 2024 WECT. All rights reserved.