How to Request a City of Jacksonville Mosquito Inspection

What is the city program, and who does it serve?

The City of Jacksonville Mosquito Control Division runs the city's mosquito program. It covers all of Duval County, uses an Integrated Mosquito Management approach and provides its service free to residents, so any resident in the county can use the request route.

The division is a city body, and its program is a public-health service rather than a private contract. Its work is aimed at the area, with monitoring, source reduction and treatment chosen for the place and the season.

Because the program covers every part of Duval County, a resident in any neighborhood has the same access to a request. A homeowner does not have to live in a particular district to ask for an inspection.

The program is separate from a private yard visit. The city works at the area scale, and a private visit works on one lot. Knowing the difference helps a resident pick the right route for the problem.

What should a resident prepare before calling or filing?

Prepare the address with the nearest cross-street, the date the problem began, the time of day it is worst, the place where water or mosquitoes were seen, and what has already been cleared on the property. Those five items are the difference between a useful request and a vague one.

The address is the first item. An exact address or the nearest intersection lets the inspector go to the right place. A street name with no number can send the inspector to the wrong block, so take a moment to confirm it.

The timing is the second. A problem worst at dusk, after a storm or every spring tells the division something about its source. Write it in one line so it can be given quickly on the call or typed into the form.

The place is the third. Standing water in a ditch, a storm drain or a low spot near several homes is more useful to the division than a general complaint about mosquitoes. A description of where the water sits is the best thing a resident can give.

• The exact address, with the nearest cross-street.
• The date the problem began and the worst time of day.
• The place the water or the mosquitoes were seen.
• Whether one lot or several are affected.
• What has been cleared on your own property already.

How do you make the request by phone?

Call the division, give the address and the description, say what you have already cleared and ask what the next step is. Write down the date, the time, the name of the person you spoke to and any reference number before you end the call.

A phone request is quick when the notes are ready. Read the address and the description clearly, and let the person on the line ask follow-up questions. Answer each one with the detail you wrote down.

Ask what happens next and when an inspection is likely. The division sets its own priorities, so the answer may be general, but the question tells the division you are following up.

Keep a short record of the call. The date, the reference and the instructions you were given are the things to look at if you need to call again.

How do you make the request online?

Use the online form, fill in every field that is asked, attach a photograph if the form allows one and keep a copy of the submission. A photograph of standing water with a scale object in the frame is especially useful to the inspector.

The online form asks for the same information as the call, so have the notes at hand before you start. An incomplete form may be slower to act on, so complete each field where you can, and leave a note for anything you could not confirm.

A photograph is worth the time. Take it from the edge of the water or the resting area, with a coin or a ruler in the frame for scale. A photograph that shows the place clearly is a better guide than a paragraph of description.

Keep a copy of the submission and any confirmation number. If nothing happens within a reasonable period, the copy is what you need to make a follow-up.

• Fill every field that is asked.
• Attach a photograph with a scale object if the form allows it.
• Keep a copy of the submission.
• Note the confirmation number, if one is given.

What happens after the request is made?

The division schedules an inspection that looks at the site and the surrounding area for breeding sources. A resident can help by being available to show the site, and should report any change with dates if the problem continues.

The inspector looks for water that holds mosquitoes and for the containers, drains and resting areas that produce them. The inspection can cover the resident's lot, the neighboring lots and any public drain or ditch nearby.

A resident who can point out the water or the shaded area helps the inspection. A resident who cannot be present should say so in the request and provide the clearest description possible.

If the problem continues after a reasonable period, call again with the reference and the dates of any new observations. Repeated, specific reports are the most useful to the division, and they show whether a problem is recurring.

When is a private visit the better choice?

A private visit suits a homeowner who wants the lot itself treated on a schedule, with the shade, the shrubs and the containers worked through. The city program covers the wider area, and a private visit works on the lot, so the two answer different needs.

A homeowner who has cleared the yard and still sees biting adults in the shade may want a private visit to treat the resting areas. The visit gives a record of what was treated and when.

A private visit does not replace a city request when the source is outside the lot. Standing water on public land or in a drain near several homes is for the city, and the private visit can help the homeowner's own lot in the meantime.

Both routes can run in the same season. A city request covers the area, and a private visit covers the homeowner's own share of the problem.

What to do if the request is not answered

If the city has not responded within a period you think reasonable, call the Mosquito Control Division again and give the reference number first.

If the city has not responded within a period you think reasonable, call the Mosquito Control Division again and give the reference number first. Say what you reported, when, and whether the problem has changed since. A short call with the reference is quicker than starting the request again.

Keep your own record as well: the date of each call, the name of the person spoken to and any new photographs. A dated list of observations is the most useful thing to have if the problem continues across several weeks.