OVIEDO, Fla. — After officials announced airplanes would fly over Seminole County on Tuesday night and release mosquito insecticide, many people raised alarm over what the spray could mean for the county’s bee population.

What You Need To Know

  • The mosquito insecticide naled can pose a threat to insects, crustaceans, and spiders

  • Aerial spraying occurs overnight, when the majority of bees will be inside their hive

  • Children shouldn't play outside until 4 hours after an aerial spray, the EPA recommends

Even a few weeks ago, before stagnant water left by Hurricane Ian provided more breeding ground, Seminole County leaders said their traps had 15 times more mosquitoes than compared to last year. A single colony can have up to 80,000.

Officials will use aerial spraying, targeting rural areas that trucks cannot easily reach with the mosquito insecticide naled. Although their goal is to kill mosquitoes, other insects can be harmed, like bees.

Dennis Langlois, the owner of Black Hammock Bee Farm, provided a better understanding of what the spray means for them.

When the county sprayed naled a few years ago, he covered all his hives.

"Just as an experiment, we had left one colony exposed, so that if there was something bad about those chemicals, we would find out,” Langlois said as he showed off part of a bee colony. “And we saw no problems whatsoever.”

Part of the reason is the planes go up to spray at night, which is when most bees return to the hive. The bees in the most danger are the few stragglers that might remain outside.

"In terms of the stuff they’re going to spray, that's our only real concern — any of the bees that are clustering out front on the entrance," he said.

Just like bees go inside, it's not a bad idea for you and your pets to do the same. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, naled breaks down in as short a time as 5 minutes to up to 3 hours.

That is why officials recommend that children stay inside to play until 4 hours after an aerial spray.

He said he has faith that his bees will be fine, but he hopes the mosquitoes will die off or decide to buzz off after the aerial spraying.

His wooded property has seen its fair share of the pesky insects.

"When the sun starts to go down, you basically have no choice but to go inside,” Langlois said. “[The mosquitoes] come out so thick, you cannot be outside."

If you live in an area that is inundated by mosquitos, you can request the county to come spray your neck of the woods.