Collier Mosquito Control given warning by state after violations discovered

The Florida Department of Agriculture is warning Collier Mosquito Control that the planes they use to diffuse pesticides near SWFL shorelines are not following protocol.

One of the violations listed in a recent report included that the district was not properly counting mosquito populations on the county’s shorelines.

But on Monday, they demonstrated how they’re fixing that problem by keeping a constant running tally of the bugs.

“Now starting in January, we set up threshold numbers for the coastline areas,” said Robin King with Collier Mosquito Control.

Another big issue was the potential for over-spraying pesticides in certain areas—a concern for many who live in the region affected.

“Are they over spraying? Because if that’s a fact, then I’m definitely concerned,” said neighbor Joe Mulgado.

Mosquito Control says the report found they sprayed .02 ounces more than what they were supposed to in a concentrated area. But they also said it presented no danger whatsoever to people who live here.

“None of those instances have any bearing on our public. It all has to do with internal procedures and doesn’t affect our population in any way,” King said.

The third violation had to do with record keeping. State rules require Mosquito Control to list the person responsible for loading the pesticides into their air crafts in their reports.

They are now implementing those changes.

Read the report here.