Up to four small planes are spraying for adult mosquitoes over Wesley Chapel and four other Pasco areas in the evening, 6:30 p.m. to midnight, as dengue spreads across Tampa Bay.
Small white airplanes flying low over Wesley Chapel in the evening are spraying for mosquitoes. The Pasco County Mosquito Control District said the extra flights began Monday, Oct. 19, and may continue Tuesday, Oct. 20, if needed.
The district’s treatment map puts most of Wesley Chapel inside the largest of five target areas. That block runs east from Interstate 75 along State Road 56 to Zephyrhills, about nine miles east.
What is flying, and when
The district said a contractor, Vector Disease Control International, is flying up to four fixed-wing aircraft. They look different from the orange-and-charcoal helicopters the district normally flies.
According to the district’s notice:
- flights start around sunset, generally between 6:30 p.m. and midnight
- work may continue Tuesday, Oct. 20, if needed, weather permitting
- the planes target adult mosquitoes
- the flights are on top of the district’s usual daytime and nighttime spraying, not instead of it
- the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is paying for them with emergency funding
The district said the schedule and the areas may change with the weather and its treatment priorities.
Where the planes are treating
The map with the district’s notice shows five treatment areas:
- a large block covering Wesley Chapel and the State Road 56 corridor east to Zephyrhills
- a block around Land O’ Lakes, about eight miles west
- a strip along the Gulf Coast from Hudson south to Holiday, including New Port Richey
- an area west of I-75 north of San Antonio
- an area around Dade City
Why now
The district gave three reasons. The Tampa Bay region is in a significant dengue outbreak. West Nile virus has turned up in the district’s sentinel chickens in Pasco this year. And rain from Hurricane Isaias left extra standing water, which helps mosquitoes breed.
Pasco County declared a local state of emergency over dengue, the first Tampa Bay county to do so, the district said. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Executive Order 26-212 then brought Pasco into the state’s emergency response, which the district said opened up the extra money.
The district said when the emergency was declared that dengue “is not widespread in Pasco County,” and that the aim was to act early and keep cases low.
How many dengue cases Pasco has
Pasco has had four locally acquired dengue cases this year, two with onset in August and two in September. That is from the Florida Department of Health’s weekly arbovirus report for Oct. 4-10, the latest posted.
“Locally acquired” means the person caught it from a mosquito in Florida, not on a trip abroad. The same report shows how much bigger the outbreak is across the county line:
| County of exposure | Locally acquired dengue cases, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hillsborough | 310 |
| Pinellas | 37 |
| Miami-Dade | 9 |
| Orange | 5 |
| Pasco | 4 |
| Broward, Palm Beach and Polk | 1 each |
| Florida | 368 |
The state report also lists, for Pasco this year:
- 46 sentinel chickens that tested positive for West Nile virus antibodies
- one pool of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, collected Sept. 16, that tested positive for dengue
Pasco is one of seven Florida counties under a mosquito-borne illness alert, the health department’s higher level of warning, as of Oct. 10. Hillsborough and Pinellas are also on the list.
What it means for you
The spray targets adult mosquitoes in the air. The mosquito that spreads dengue, Aedes aegypti, breeds in small containers around homes and bites during the day as well as at night, the district says on its dengue page.
The district and the health department ask people to:
- empty and scrub anything that holds water at least once a week: buckets, plant saucers, toys, birdbaths, pet bowls, tires
- use an EPA-registered insect repellent, by the label, in the day and at night
- wear loose long sleeves and long pants when practical
- keep window and door screens in good repair
Old tires hold rainwater and breed mosquitoes. Through Nov. 1, Pasco residents can drop off up to four old tires free at county sites; our trash and recycling guide has the addresses.
The district runs a free treatment notification sign-up for alerts when it is working in your area. Questions go to the district at 727-376-4568.
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