It took Randall Smith several days to clean up outside his home in Apopka after Hurricane Irma.

  • Orange County to do aerial spraying next week
  • Mosquitoes up 550% since Irma
  • Spray areas include Apopka, Bithlo, Moss Park, Wedgefield

"When this debris gets wet with rain, the mosquitoes got somewhere to hid at and then at night, they get terrible," said Randall Smith.

With piles of tree branches and limbs, it looks like Smith is only waiting on curbside debris pickup along North Cervidae Drive.

However, he is also waiting on relief from mosquitoes.

After a recent spike in mosquitoes after Hurricane Irma, officials will begin aerial mosquito spraying in Orange County next week.

"The filling up on the lakes back there, has brought in a lot mosquitoes and the bugs," Smith explained.

Orange County Mosquito Control will treat approximately 85,000 acres in Apopka, Bithlo, Christmas, Moss Park and Wedgefield via aerial spraying, starting as early as 9 p.m. Monday, Sept 25.

To put that into perspective, that's equivalent of spraying more than 64,000 football fields for mosquitoes.

"Yes finally, they need to do something about it because we have little kids that are outside sometimes at night," Smith said. "You know the little kids around here want to play outside and they can't because all of the mosquito bites. And we have grandkids that come over here and some of them are allergic to the mosquito bites."

Orange County's decision follows other Central Florida counties that are also implementing aerial spraying.

Officials said the materials they will be using are not harmful to humans, pets, livestock or gardens.

Smith is glad the mosquito nuisance, which has been caused by rain from Hurricane Irma, won't ruin his nights much longer.

"I don't sit out here as long as my fiancee and them do because I can't handle the mosquitoes. I'm also allergic to the mosquito bites. I don't sit out here. Once I get one mosquito bite, I go inside," Smith said.

In some parts of Orange County, officials say the mosquito population is up 550 percent. 

That's why they believe aerial spraying is quickest, most effective way to get the mosquito population under control.

To learn what the county uses for aerial spraying, check out the Orange County Mosquito Control website.