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Standing water pools along neighborhood streets throughout Central Florida over a month after Hurricane Ian have created a breeding ground. Smart Rubbish Bin

Scott Martin is a project manager for the restoration mitigation company Encompass Restoration. He works in the areas people left.

“The mosquitoes have gotten horrible since the waters rose,” Martin said. “You will get eaten up a lot."

Last month, Orange County Mosquito Control identified approximately 93,000 acres that are seeing more mosquitoes. Because of that influx, the county and the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences are handing out free mosquito traps.

The traps were invented in a UF lab. And the company that now sells them, Inzecto Mosquito Trap, donated 100,000 traps to hard-hit communities. 9,000 of those traps went to Orange County.

“We have a big population of mosquitos here in Orange County now because of all the water,” said Orange County UF/IFAS extension director Kevin Camm.

Camm demonstrated how the trap is easy to use. The trap itself is red and black, which Camm explained are two colors that attract mosquitos. The inside of the trap is lined with an insecticide that kills mosquitos and larvae. All people have to do is fill it up with water and place it in a shady spot outside.

One trap covers 1,500 square feet and lasts for three months. Camm adds that the traps are safe around children and pets.

The county is giving out two free mosquito traps per household. You can pick them up at the UF/IFAS Orange County Extension office on South Conway Road, the Orlo Vista Parks and Recreation Center or Bithlo Parks and Recreation Center.

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