Mosquito

How to tell

• Aedes aegypti is dark with white banding on the legs and a lyre-shaped marking on the thorax.
• It bites during the day, mostly early morning and late afternoon, close to where it emerged.
• Larvae need only a bottle cap of standing water to develop.
• Container breeders stay near the house; floodwater species arrive after heavy rain from farther off.

Where you'll find it

• Bromeliads, plant saucers, and the tray under a potted palm.
• Clogged gutters, tarps, and a boat cover holding water.
• Shaded shrubs and the underside of lanai furniture where adults rest during the heat.

Why it matters

Mosquitoes are a recognized vector for several diseases, and in Southwest Florida the wet season makes a yard unusable in the evenings. Most of the population on a residential lot originates in containers on that same lot.

How Strike treats it

The visit starts with a source walk — we find and empty or treat the standing water, because that is the part that actually changes the population. Then we apply a residual to the shaded resting surfaces where adults spend the day, and treat bromeliads and untippable water with a larvicide. Service runs monthly through the wet season, since rain resets the cycle. For events, a single service can be timed the day before.

What you can do before we arrive

• Empty plant saucers, buckets, and anything holding water.
• Clear the gutters and flip anything that collects rain.
• Move pet bowls and children's toys off the lanai for the visit.
• Tell us where and when you are getting bitten most.