The Pest: More Mosquitoes and Higher Demand for Service

One reason for the increase in mosquito control revenue: Mosquitoes were horrible in many parts of the country last year and that caused customers to call for service.

In fact, 71 percent of PMPs said the number of customer requests for mosquito control increased significantly or somewhat in 2021, found the 2022 PCT State of the Mosquito Control Market survey. That’s up from 59 percent who reported an increase in customer requests for mosquito service in 2020.

In some areas, heavy rains boosted mosquito populations by giving the pests more areas of standing water in which to lay eggs. But introduced mosquito species also caused problems.

“The invasion of the Aedes mosquitoes” had people in Southern California clamoring for help, said George Iglesias, head of operations for Pest Innovations in Glendora, Calif. Five years ago, he had two dozen mosquito customers; now he has 200 signed up for seasonal control programs.

Orkin named Los Angeles the #1 worst city in the U.S. for mosquitoes last year based on the number of mosquito customers it served there. New to the list: San Diego at #39; Fresno at #47.

Mosquito populations have become “quite explosive in the last few years,” despite California’s generally dry conditions, said Iglesias. The eggs of Aedes mosquitoes stay viable without water for two years; when it does rain, the eggs activate, mosquitoes hatch and people are attacked by daytime biters, he explained. Aedes mosquitoes were first discovered in California in 2013.

Florida also has a new disease-vectoring mosquito to contend with: Aedes scapularis. Scientists from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, who discovered the pest in November 2020, recently predicted it could establish in 16 coastal counties along Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Scientists said the nonnative species already is widespread in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.

An introduction like this “keeps us on our toes” but the goal remains the same: “to help protect people from mosquitoes,” said Luke Lewis, Native Pest Management, which serves South Florida.

According to the PCT survey, 64 percent of PMPs agreed mosquitoes represent a greater threat to public health today than they did five years ago. Less than half (46 percent) said their customers understand the risks of vector-borne diseases.

The survey also found that 69 percent of PMPs were aware of, or concerned about, different or invasive mosquito species becoming established in their markets.