When Is Mosquito Season in Jacksonville?

What does the city's listed season cover?

The City of Jacksonville lists Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti activity from about the end of April to the end of September. That window is the basis for the calendar on this page, and it is the period in which the city's own program is most active.

The city's listing names the two species that are the most common container breeders in the area. Both lay eggs in small pools of water close to homes, which is why the yard is the main place to act and why the season is set by the city's description.

The window is a guide and not a fixed boundary. Weather, rainfall and the state of the yard all change how many mosquitoes are active in a given week, so the calendar is a starting point for planning rather than a prediction for a particular week.

A homeowner who wants the calendar to work should note when the first biting adults appear each year. That observation is more useful than any published date for planning the first visit.

What does the calendar look like month by month?

The calendar sets out the planning stages for each month of the city's season: preparation in April, the first clearing visit in late spring, peak attention in summer, and the late-season check through September. The timing follows the city's listed window and the household's own observations.

Late April is the start of the window. The planning goal is to clear containers and gutters before the population rises, and to book the first yard visit if one is planned. The work is cheap and the payoff is largest at this point.

May and June are the months in which the population usually rises. Biting adults become more common in the shade of the yard, and the homeowner should check resting areas and report any increase to the technician or to the city program.

July and August are the peak months of the listed season. Clearing water after each storm and keeping the shaded areas thinned remain the most useful steps, and a mid-season visit is common. September is the close of the window, and a late check before the end of the month sets up the next season.

How does the wet-season advisory fit into the calendar?

The Florida Department of Health has issued mosquito-borne illness advisories for Duval in past wet seasons, including 2024. An advisory is a public notice for a period, so the calendar should be read alongside the department's listings to see whether a notice applies to the current season.

An advisory adds urgency to the steps the calendar already lists. Clearing water and protecting people outdoors matter more during an advisory, and the household should step up its checks for the period the advisory covers.

The advisory is not a diagnosis, and it does not change what a household should do about its own yard. It is a signal from the public health office, and it is most useful when it prompts a household to act before the peak.

A homeowner who wants to follow the advisories should check the department's notices for Duval through the season, and should keep the advisory period in the household's record.

Which steps belong at the start of each season?

At the start of each season, clear the yard's containers, check the gutters, remove stored items that hold water, and book the first visit if one is planned. A few hours of work at this point saves much of the effort later in the season.

The first job is the containers. Buckets, toys, saucers and tarps that have been stored over the winter should be emptied and stored upright or under cover. Each one removed is a breeding site the population will not use.

The second job is the gutters and the drains. Clearing them before the rain starts keeps water from sitting in the gutter where mosquitoes breed, and it keeps the wall dry, which matters for termites as well.

The third job is the schedule. A visit at the start of the season is the one that does the most work, since the homeowner is most likely to act on the list before the population is high.

• Empty and store containers, buckets and toys.
• Clear the gutters and drains before the rains.
• Check shaded beds and the underside of shrubs.
• Book the first visit for the start of the window.

What does the calendar mean for the city's own program?

The city's Mosquito Control Division covers all of Duval County and runs an Integrated Mosquito Management program, with service free to residents. A homeowner who sees a problem across several yards should request a city inspection in the same window the calendar describes.

The city's program works at the scale of districts and neighborhoods, and its season is the same window the calendar describes. A request in late spring or summer is the one most likely to find a source while the population is building.

A homeowner's private visit and the city program work together. The city covers the wider area, and the yard visit covers the lot. The calendar helps the two line up, so that the lot is cleared before the city's peak work and the request is made when the problem is visible.

The request route is described separately, and it is free to residents. The calendar is the reminder that the request is worth making early in the season if the problem is expected.

How should a household use the calendar in practice?

Mark the window on the household calendar, note the first biting adults each year, check the advisories through the season and set the visits against the listed period. A household that does that will know its own season better than any published date can show.

Mark the window in the household calendar and set reminders for the start, the middle and the end. A reminder tied to a task like gutter cleaning or a yard walk is the simplest way to keep it.

Keep a short log of the first biting adult, the first storm that filled containers and the first visit. Over a few years the log shows the lot's own season, which is more useful than the city's window for setting the timing.

Read the advisories when they are issued, and adjust the steps for the period they cover. A household that plans this way has the calendar, the log and the advisory in one place, and each visit can be timed to them.

Planning around a late-summer storm

A storm in late summer can refill containers and gutters within a day, and the population can respond within a few weeks.

A storm in late summer can refill containers and gutters within a day, and the population can respond within a few weeks. Planning for that means clearing water within a day or two of heavy rain rather than waiting for the next scheduled task.

A household that keeps a few spare buckets emptied and a gutter check ready for the day after a storm tends to see less biting late in the season. The city's listed window still applies, and the storm check is what keeps the lot inside it.