CHARLESTON CO., SC (WCSC) – Residents are still feeling the effects of Tropical Storm Debby. In many areas of the Lowcountry, people are experiencing dangerous numbers of mosquitoes, forcing many to stay indoors to avoid mosquito attacks.
Brian Hayes, Charleston County mosquito control director, says since the Lowcountry was pretty dry before Debby, the eggs were just waiting to hatch when the plentiful water came.
“It’s a nationwide problem right now; we’re going to all areas,” Hayes says. “It’s going to be an ongoing process every night until we get this under control.”
Richard Hunter, a McClellanville resident, says the mosquitoes began hatching after the area received 13 inches of rain in 48 hours.
“This is the worst, the worst,” says Hunter. “I have things I can put out here in the garden, but the bugs are so bad right now that I can’t stay out here long enough to get it done.”
Hunter has lived in the area for 25 years and says he has never seen so many mosquitoes.
“My little Boston Terrier looked like he had a second coat on; he’s still covered in mosquitoes,” says Hunter. “I just can’t, I can’t let the dog out.”
Charleston County Mosquito Control Program consists of 30 employees who provide mosquito control services in Charleston County using a variety of methods.
One of these methods is aerial spraying. This treatment will involve aerial spraying in the McClellanville, Germantown and South Santee areas on Saturday evening between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. If necessary, a replacement period of 6:00 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. on Sunday can be used.
Hayes says there are so many mosquitoes across the county right now that they are working around the clock to get the problem under control.
“It’s definitely a much more intense spray because we just have so many mosquitoes right now,” Hayes said. “I mean, normally we’re busy in the summer, but that doesn’t compare to the volumes we get when we have flooding across the county.”
Although Hunter is excited about the county spraying McClellanville, he worries the insects won’t just go away.
“If the water doesn’t go down, we’ll be back here in a week and my fun level will be almost at an end,” says Hunter.
To find your mosquito control zone and planned treatment areas, and to report an area requiring mosquito control, visit the District website.
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