Claim:
A photograph genuinely shows a pile of 1 million mosquitoes "caught in a trap in Sanibel, Florida."
Rating:
True ( About this rating? )
In August 2024, an image shared to Reddit ( archived ) claiming to show a pile of 1 million dead mosquitoes received more than 46,000 upvotes and raised some eyebrows among commenters. The post said the pile was 8 inches tall and about 18 inches wide.
"Who, exactly, counted them?" one Reddit user asked.
A pile of 1 million dead mosquitos. The pile is 8 inches tall and ~18 inches across.
by u/MelanieWalmartinez in interestingasfuck
The same image also was posted on Reddit ( archived ) in April 2024, noting that the pesky insects were captured in a trap in Sanibel, Florida.
A Google keyword search ( archived ) for the phrase "1 million mosquitoes sanibel florida" returned credible news reports that included the image, such as WFLA , WTSP and CBS News .
One outlet, Atlanta's WAGA , included a link to a Facebook post shared by the Lee County Mosquito Control District on Feb. 16, 2022, which featured a photo of the massive mosquito mound . According to the post, the image genuinely showed the "results of an LCMCD trapping project that took place in one section of one neighborhood on Sanibel Island over the summer of 2021."
https://www.facebook.com/LeeCoMosquito/posts/249821273991358
Located outside Fort Myers on the western side of Florida, Sanibel has been serviced by the LCMCD since 1958. The agency reports providing "uninterrupted mosquito control services to the citizens of Lee County for over sixty years."
LCMCD didn't elaborate in its post on the details of the project or how its employees were able to capture so many of the pests, but it noted on its website that the district "uses a variety of biological, mechanical, and chemical control techniques to reduce mosquito populations."
To determine how authorities calculated the 1 million figure, Snopes reached out to the agency. In an email, Aaron Lloyd, LCMCD assistant director, told Snopes that it's a matter of estimation. He wrote:
When trap counts reach these levels, especially when there is one dominant mosquito species, we will use aliquot sampling of the trap capture. Essentially, we weigh the total trap capture, take a sub-sample of the trap capture, weigh the sub-sample, count and identify the mosquitoes in the sub-sample, and mathematically calculate how many mosquitoes are in the entire trap capture.
Some county programs target mosquito larvae using materials called larvicides, while adult mosquitoes are targeted using adulticides. LCMCD added that:
All materials used to control mosquitoes have been thoroughly tested as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency registration process and are used according to the product label directions. Larvicides and adulticides are applied by ground or air using highly sophisticated application technology including satellite navigation and global positioning for precision application targeting. Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is also used to reduce the number of Aedes aegypti, a mosquito vector of several diseases.
Because some mosquitoes can spread viruses such as Zika, West Nile and dengue, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that mosquito-control efforts are led by local government departments and control professionals who track numbers and types of mosquitoes in a given area.
Snopes has debunked other claims related to mosquitoes, including whether the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provided funding to genetically modify — and release — mosquitoes in various locations, including Florida. We've also fact-checked whether mosquitoes are attracted to certain blood types and whether it's true that Disney World "never" sees mosquitoes inside its gates.
Sources:
"1 Million Mosquitoes Trapped in One Part of a Neighborhood on Sanibel Island." Wtsp.Com , 21 Feb. 2022, https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/regional/florida/mosquitoes-trapped-sanibel-island/67-f39f0be6-ebff-4cdf-a431-d05d91f7f7b4 .
1 Million Mosquitos Sanibel Florida - Google Search . https://www.google.com/search?q=1+million+mosquitos+sanibel+florida&oq=1+million+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBggAEEUYOzIGCAAQRRg7MgYIARBFGDkyBggCEEUYQDIGCAMQRRg8MgYIBBBFGDwyBggFEEUYPNIBCDExODFqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8 . Accessed 22 Apr. 2024.
CDC. "Mosquito Control | CDC." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 5 May 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/mosquito-control/index.html .
---. "Why Is Mosquito Control Important? | CDC." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , 6 Oct. 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/mosquitoes/mosquito-control/why-is-mosquito-control-important.html .
Dapcevich, Madison. "Are Mosquitos Attracted to a Certain Blood Type?" Snopes , 21 July 2021, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/mosquitoes-blood-type-attraction/ .
---. "Is Bill Gates Releasing Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in Florida? | Snopes.Com." Snopes , 3 June 2021, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/bill-gates-release-gmo-mosquitoes/ .
Lee County Mosquito Control District | LCMCD . 2 Apr. 2024, https://lcmcd.com/ .
Liles, Jordan. "Disney World Has Mosquitoes, Despite Claims Seen Online." Snopes , 18 June 2021, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/disney-world-mosquitoes/ .
Log in or Sign up to View . https://www.facebook.com/login/ . Accessed 22 Apr. 2024.
--- . https://www.facebook.com/login/ . Accessed 22 Apr. 2024.
"One Million Mosquitoes in Florida Caught on Sanibel Island." FOX TV Digital Team , 19 Feb. 2022, https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/one-million-mosquitoes-in-florida-caught-on-sanibel-island .
One Million Mosquitoes Trapped In Sanibel Last Summer For Research - CBS Miami . 18 Feb. 2022, https://www.cbsnews.com/miami/news/one-million-mosquitoes-trapped-in-sanibel-last-summer-for-research/ .
"Photo Shows 1 Million Mosquitos Caught on Florida Island." WFLA , 16 Feb. 2022, https://www.wfla.com/news/florida/photo-shows-one-million-mosquitos-caught-on-florida-island/ .
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