Fort Bend County, just outside Houston, has declared a local public health emergency over a surge in its mosquito population, as residents across the county contend with swarms of biting insects this summer. County leaders say mosquito activity is running well above normal after weeks of rain and standing water.
Officials say mosquito-related complaints have more than doubled compared with the number reported after Hurricane Beryl, a sharp jump that helped prompt the emergency declaration. The move allows the county to take additional steps to try to bring the problem back under control.
Some of the hardest-hit communities include Fairchild, Pleak, Sienna and Richmond. The county released a map highlighting the areas where mosquito activity has been most intense and where treatment efforts will be focused in the coming days.
In response, the county plans to begin aerial mosquito spraying in the worst-affected areas next week. The spraying is intended to knock down the elevated populations across the zones identified on the treatment map as the most heavily affected.
The surge follows a stretch of heavy rain and flooding across the region, which left behind pools of standing water where mosquitoes breed. With more summer rain still possible, officials are bracing for the problem to linger into the season.
Health officials are urging families to take steps to protect themselves from bites. They recommend avoiding the outdoors at dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active, and draining any standing water that collects around the home.
Residents are also advised to dress in long sleeves and long pants when possible and to use insect repellent. Officials say those simple precautions, combined with the planned aerial spraying, are the best defense as the county works to rein in the mosquito population.