Mosquitos & Hurricanes

Things to Know

• Adult mosquitoes don’t generally survive high winds during a hurricane. However, the mosquito eggs laid in the soil by floodwater mosquitoes during previous floods will hatch. This results in very large populations of floodwater mosquitoes.
• Most of these mosquitoes are considered nuisance mosquitoes.In general, nuisance mosquitoes do not spread viruses that make people sick. The types of mosquitoes that can spread viruses may increase 2 weeks to 2 months after a hurricane, especially in areas that did not flood but received more rainfall than usual.
• Because people spend more time outside cleaning up after a hurricane or flood, they are more likely to be bitten by nuisance mosquitoes. A

How to Protect Yourself & Family

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
• Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents with one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, or 2-undecanone.
  • See EPA’s search tool here.
  • Always follow the product label instructions.
  • Reapply insect repellent as directed.
  • Do not spray repellent on the skin under clothing.
  • If you are also using sunscreen, apply sunscreen first and insect repellent second.
  • Prevent mosquito bites

Steps to Control Mosquitoes Inside and Outside Your Home

• After a hurricane or flood, the health department or mosquito control district will often take steps to reduce the mosquito population.
• Residents can take steps to help control mosquitoes in and around their homes to prevent mosquito bites.
  • Keep mosquitoes outside

Helpful Links

CDC: Mosquitos & Hurricanes

Floodwater mosquitoes