From UF/IFAS
In Summary:
UF/IFAS researchers used a smartphone-based Bite Diary alongside mosquito traps to examine when and where people encountered mosquitoes in Indian River County. They collected 3,788 female mosquitoes from 78 residential yards and unexpectedly found more Aedes aegypti, the primary dengue-transmitting species, than Aedes albopictus. Reported bites were associated with time spent outdoors during evening hours rather than the number of mosquitoes trapped in a yard, and the findings do not establish that dengue was circulating locally.
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Your backyard can be more than a place to garden, play with your dog, spend time with the family, or relax. It can also be a place where people encounter mosquitoes capable of transmitting dengue, according to a University of Florida study.
Related: Orange County adds faster testing for mosquito-borne illnesses.
With the rise of dengue cases in Florida this year, UF researchers at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory (FMEL) are urging residents to take precautions, especially in the unprotected recreation spaces outside of their walls.
Researchers at UF were surprised to find that Aedes aegypti, the primary mosquito responsible for dengue, was relatively common in residential yards in Indian River County, where they expected to find more of a secondary dengue-transmitting mosquito known as Aedes albopictus.
“It was definitely surprising to find that we saw more Aedes aegypti,” said co-author Panpim Thongsripong, an assistant professor of vector-borne disease ecology at FMEL. “We expected to find more Aedes albopictus in suburban Indian River County because of the area’s vegetation and residential setting.”
FMEL study team members Michael Futo (left) and Tyler Maire are deploying adult mosquito traps in the study area.
Photo by Panpim Thongsripong
The finding emerged from the study, “How often, when, and where do people get bitten by mosquitoes? Characterizing human–mosquito contact using Bite Diary,” which examined where and when people are bitten by mosquitoes, information that mosquito surveillance does not always capture.
Bite Diary, a temporary smartphone-based app developed by researchers at FMEL in Vero Beach, allowed people to report when and where they were bitten by mosquitoes. Simultaneously, researchers were trapping mosquitoes in their residential yards to compare results. The researchers also worked closely with the Indian River Mosquito District in non–residential public areas where traps had been placed.
Eighty-three people participated in the study, with 71 registering for the Bite Diary smartphone app. Participants recorded mosquito bites and their outdoor activities over
UF mosquito research exposes unexpected discovery on what is in your yard October 7, 2026
a four-day period. Researchers also trapped mosquitoes in 78 residential yards, collecting 3,788 female mosquitoes representing several species, including vectors that can potentially transmit mosquito-borne diseases.
The study’s bite records show that exposure often happened during ordinary activities close to home. Dog walking and gardening were among the activities frequently reported when participants recorded mosquito bites. Much of the exposure occurred around participants’ homes.
“This could help public health officials think differently about mosquito prevention. While many mosquito control and public health agencies already encourage personal protection and public awareness, our findings provide additional evidence supporting those efforts,” said Cynthia Lord, associate professor of population modeling at FMEL. “Public information campaigns about use of personal protection, activities that increase mosquito contact, and awareness of the time of day may be beneficial.”
The study found that the number of mosquitoes collected in a yard did not correlate with the number of bites people reported. Instead, people who spent more time outdoors during evening hours were more likely to report being bitten.
“A lot of the time, we put mosquito traps in a park or an empty lot,” said Thongsripong. “But mosquitoes like Aedes aegypti really love to breed in containers around people’s homes.”
The findings do not mean dengue is circulating in Indian River County. But this underscores why researchers say residential yards can be important places to monitor mosquitoes and understand where people may encounter species capable of transmitting disease.
"People who spend more time outdoors during dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are more active, are at higher risk and should consider using bite protection tools such as repellents containing active ingredients like DEET, picaridin, and PMD,” said Thongsripong.
The findings highlight several simple measures that can help lower the risk of mosquito bites and reduce mosquito populations around homes.
“Minimizing water-holding containers or dumping them frequently can reduce populations of key mosquito species such as Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus, likely reducing bites on people in the yard,” said Lord. “These species can lay eggs and develop in very small amounts of water.”
Another takeaway from the study demonstrates how technology can help researchers capture information that traditional mosquito surveillance cannot, said Thongsripong.
Incorporating information about human behavior alongside mosquito surveillance could provide a more complete picture of mosquito exposure and ultimately help improve how mosquito-borne disease risk is understood.
UF mosquito research exposes unexpected discovery on what is in your yard October 7, 2026
The study was funded by a UF/IFAS Faculty Seed Grant of $85,000 from the Innovation Hub for Urban Pest Management in the UF/IFAS Department of Entomology and Nematology.
Key Points:
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Unexpected species finding: Researchers found more Aedes aegypti than Aedes albopictus in residential yards, contrary to their expectations for the suburban setting.
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Bites close to home: Gardening and dog walking were among the activities frequently reported when participants recorded mosquito bites.
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Technology tracked exposure: The study included 83 participants, with 71 registering for the Bite Diary app to document bites and outdoor activities over four days.
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Trap counts did not predict bites: The number of mosquitoes collected in a yard did not correlate with reported bites, while greater evening outdoor exposure was associated with more reports.
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Presence does not establish transmission: Finding a species capable of transmitting dengue does not mean the virus was circulating in Indian River County.
ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human, and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries and all Florida residents.
For more information, go to ifas.ufl.edu.
