PUBLIC OUTREACH Our mosquito control program uses education and community engagement to promote responsible mosquito management and protect public health. Through presentations, partnerships, and expert guidance, we help residents understand how prevention and control efforts reduce mosquito populations and the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

Yellow Fly season in the Panhandle is challenging as yellow flies are most active during daylight hours and thrive off the habitats readily available in our area. When they bite, they bite hard, often leaving a painful, red, itchy spot in their wake. What can you do to help protect against yellow fly bites? Wear clothing that covers your skin, use repellents, or even set a yellow fly trap. We…

In 2022, SWCMCD established its first aerial program by way of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)/Drone technology. This exciting advancement has greatly enhanced the efficiency, cost effectiveness, and safety of mosquito control operations for the district.

Larvicides are applied directly to water sources that hold mosquito eggs and larva. By focusing on killing mosquitoes during their larval stage, they will never emerge into adults and bite people, and never transmit mosquito-borne diseases.

Adulticides are products that rapidly reduce adult mosquito populations. This can become necessary when larval control measures are insufficient or not feasible. Adulticiding may be initiated when there is evidence of significant populations of mosquitoes in a region, or if there is evidence of mosquito-borne disease transmission in our County.

Source reduction is the elimination of mosquito producing habitat by draining or filling of water holding situations. In South Walton, over 31 major drainage ditches (spanning 44 Miles) were dug by mosquito control to drain the land. SWMD maintains these ditches  by mowing the banks, slopes and access roads; cleaning vegetation from the bottom of the ditches to ensure proper flow; and cleaning and…

By monitoring South Walton for mosquitoes and the arboviruses they may transmit, the district takes a proactive approach to mosquito control. This is done mainly through the deployment of mosquito traps, testing of blood samples, and public interaction through service requests. All data gathered in field surveillance is used to determine the best approach of control to protect our constituents.

South Walton is one of just 19 Florida counties using sentinel chickens as an early-alert system for mosquito-borne viruses. These chickens are safely monitored with weekly blood samples (except winter) to detect viruses before people get sick. This data helps SWMD target control efforts faster and more precisely, focus on specific areas and mosquito species and track long-term virus “hot spots” across the county. With 16 coop sites and 94 chickens, this program is safe, effective, and crucial—chickens don’t get sick or spread viruses to people, making them ideal mosquito monitors.

Residents experiencing mosquito issues can submit a service request online or via telephone. The property will be inspected by our mosquito technicians and treated accordingly.