Fort Lauderdale residents may notice mosquito control trucks overnight as county targets disease-carrying insects
Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Fort Lauderdale residents in part of the city may notice mosquito control trucks moving through neighborhoods overnight this week, as Broward County carries out a targeted effort aimed at stopping mosquitoes before they reach adulthood.
The treatment began Wednesday, October 14, and is scheduled to continue through Wednesday, October 21, 2026. Rather than targeting flying mosquitoes, crews are focusing on larvae developing in small pools of standing water around homes, businesses and landscaping.
Broward County’s Mosquito Control Section is conducting the larvicide spraying in an area of Fort Lauderdale located in District 8, represented by Vice Mayor Robert McKinzie. The schedule could change because of weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
Truck-mounted sprayers are operating between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., applying larvicide as a proactive measure against Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. Both species can potentially spread illnesses including dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya.
Their larvae can develop in surprisingly small amounts of water. Common breeding locations include containers left outdoors as well as water-holding plants such as bromeliads and traveler’s palms, which are frequently used in South Florida landscaping.
Crews are using VectoBac WDG, a larvicide containing Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, or Bti. According to the county, the treatment does not harm people, pets, bees, aquatic habitats or environmentally sensitive areas.
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Bti is a naturally occurring and biodegradable bacterial larvicide. It is registered for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, certified by the Organic Materials Review Institute and has also been reviewed by the World Health Organization. More information about Bti is available through the EPA.
The county’s mosquito control program continues to work with the Florida Department of Health and code enforcement agencies across Broward County’s 31 municipalities to reduce mosquito populations and breeding areas.
Residents and business owners can also play a direct role by regularly checking their properties and emptying standing water from buckets, tires, planters, birdbaths and fountains.
Anyone experiencing mosquito problems can call 311 or submit an online Mosquito Service Request Form.
