HYDE COUNTY — Last week’s heavy rains and standing water brought a new surge of mosquitoes to the Hyde County area.

While there has been no formal surveillance testing done on the mosquito population, Hyde County Health Department Director Luana Gibbs said the change is noticeable to residents.

“It is obvious that the mosquito population has increased,” Gibbs said.

She said the health department no longer runs a mosquito control program on the mainland, so there has been no spraying there to combat mosquitoes. Ocracoke Island, however, has its own control program and has reported spraying.

When a municipality sprays for mosquitoes, it must alert the public to avoid potentially harmful effects, such as damage to honeybee hives and newer fishponds. It is standard to spray in the evening when these effects are less of a risk.

Gibbs said this route is only one way to control breeding mosquitoes, and residents can play an active role in controlling them.

“Adulticides (from spraying) kill adult mosquitoes, but it takes larvicides to kill the immature ones. Regardless of the type spray that is used, other things that can be done are reducing mosquito breeding sites, as well as providing public education,” Gibbs said.

Hyde County officials have been doing just that with the start of the “Fight the Bite” campaign this month, which is working to inform citizens about the potential dangers of mosquito bites, including contraction of the Zika Virus, West Nile Virus, La Crosse Encephalitis Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus, according to a press release.

Gibbs said there are steps residents can take to reduce mosquito-breeding sites: eliminate standing water (empty buckets, tires, birdbaths, trash containers, etc.); repair holes in screens; wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants at peak times (dusk and dawn); use insect repellent (make sure to follow the product label directions).

For more information about mosquito control, visit www.hydehealth.com.