Grand Strand mosquito spraying ramps up amid national spread of bug-borne illnesses

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — As mosquito season moves into the fall months, officials in Grand Strand communities are beefing up spraying efforts as bug-born illnesses like West Nile virus continue to mount nationwide.

“We’re collecting mosquitoes every day. Every night we’re having them sent to the (state) Department of Health so that they can check to be sure that we don’t have West Nile,” South Carolina Mosquito Association president Johnny Bruton said. “Same thing with dead birds. We’re always looking for dead birds to have those in all for testing to try and get ahead of any possible vector disease,” Bruton said.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says West Nile has reached 33 states with 216 reported cases. Officials are also monitoring dengue fever and Eastern equine encephalitis.

Horry County, Myrtle Beach and North Myrtle Beach leaders all remain proactive in their mosquito abatement efforts — spraying with insecticides daily.

Bruton said no active cases of the diseases have been reported locally, but urges people to be cautious as flooding from Tropical Storm Debby continues to be a problem in some areas.

Mosquitoes thrive in areas with standing water and around swamps, pools and other damp locations.

“Anywhere there’s standing water. It’s your home if you’ve got gutters that are blocked. If you’ve got bird baths that aren’t being cleaned,” he said. “Children’s toys are a big breeder of mosquitoes. Anything that will hold water for a long period of time.”

North Myrtle Beach has about ten traps in place and treated its ditches with larvicide on top of aerial spraying.

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Gabby Jonas joined the News13 team as a multimedia journalist in April 2024. She is from Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Kent State University in May 2023. Follow Gabby on X, formerly Twitter , Facebook or Instagram , and read more of her work here .

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