Mosquitoes

Learning what attracts the pests could be useful to designing repellents that deter them from biting people and reducing local populations. A recent FIU study shows humans aren't the only fussy eaters.

The county reported 59 of the state's 73 cases this year as of the latest weekly update from Aug. 23-29. That 29 more than the previous update. There are three important steps for prevention.

Noting that "dengue does not stop at county lines," Pinellas' mosquito control said it was expanding its response by focusing ground inspections and dawn fogging in the Palm Harbor and St. Petersburg areas.

Five mosquito pools tested positive for the disease in Hillsborough, which added seven cases over the past week. And there was third case in Pinellas after going 15 years without one.

Health alerts are in effect for several counties in Florida as officials monitor mosquito-borne illnesses after heavy rainfall.

Eight people in Hillsborough and two in Pinellas recently contracted the mosquito-borne illness locally, officials say. Both counties are under alerts. The disease is not endemic to the Tampa Bay region.

City councilman Bill Carlson says he has a “win-win-win” stadium plan that can benefit Tampa and Rays fans and won’t use sales taxes or increase property taxes.

The Florida Department of Health offices in both counties said they are working with mosquito control agencies to monitor and respond to the cases.

This week, “Florida Matters Live & Local” is revisiting some of our best conversations from the year.

Google put in a proposal to the Environmental Protection Agency to release 32 million mosquitoes in Florida over two years. But it may not be as bad as it sounds.

If passed, the state's mosquito control districts that rely on ad valorem taxes could lose a third of their funding, according to the Florida Mosquito Control Association.

Researchers put tiny “cones of shame” onto mice to help unravel what happens on a cellular level when an itch gets scratched or not.