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Hernando County mosquito control defends targeted, species-driven spraying as residents press for broader spraying
Summary
Hernando County mosquito-control officials said Tuesday they use species-specific surveillance and targeted larval and adult treatments rather than routine truck spraying, drawing pushback from residents who said last summer's localized responses left neighborhoods and farms severely bitten.
Hernando County mosquito-control officials explained at the April 8 Board of County Commissioners meeting why crews ofteninspect and trap before spraying, and defended a strategy the director described as "integrated mosquito management." County mosquito-control director Sandra Fisher Granger told the board the program relies on surveillance, targeted larval treatments, and limited adulticide applications rather than routine area-wide truck spraying.
Why it matters: Residents said repeated localized problems last summer left farms and evening workers exposed to heavy biting; they asked the board and mosquito-control staff for faster, broader responses and clearer public guidance. County officials said different mosquito species require different responses and that routine blanket spraying can be unnecessary and harmful.
Fisher Granger said decision-making is species-specific and evidence-based. "If we don't know what we're looking for, we don't know which tools to bring," she told the commissioners and assembled residents. She…
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