Travel Guide | North America

Mosquitoes on the Gulf Coast: Florida, Texas, Louisiana and the South

Warm water, wet summers and a deep habit of living outdoors. Here is what CDC (source: CDC: Guide to Preventing Mosquito Bites, opens in a new tab) and state health departments say, and why locals want an easier routine.

Sponsored by MosquitoNoBite Reviewed September 2026 7 min read

Home / Travel Guide / Gulf Coast

Ask anyone between Galveston and Gulf Shores about mosquitoes and you will hear a story. Some swear they have seen ones the size of hummingbirds. The record is more modest, though not by much: UF/IFAS (source: UF/IFAS news release: Huge, aggressive mosquito may be abundant in Florida this summer, opens in a new tab) describes the gallinipper, a floodwater mosquito found across the region, as about half an inch long. Warm, wet and full of standing water, the Gulf Coast gives mosquitoes plenty to work with, and gives people plenty of reasons to be outside anyway.

MosquitoNoBite Daily Defense Capsules, amber bottle with the mosquito-prohibited label

Launching 2027 | Pre-order special

Made for the porch, the pier and the boil

A natural, organic, vegan once-a-day capsule. Nothing to spray, rub in or reapply while your hands are full.

$24.95 per 30-day bottle | $49.95 for a 90-day supply, buy one get one free

See pricing and pre-order

Most common in the U.S.West Nile virus

West Nile seasonSummer into fall

After heavy rainFloodwater mosquitoes hatch

Local dengue reportedFlorida and Texas

What CDC (source: CDC: Guide to Preventing Mosquito Bites, opens in a new tab) says is in the Gulf states

West Nile virus (source: CDC: About West Nile, opens in a new tab). CDC (source: CDC: About West Nile, opens in a new tab) calls it the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the contiguous United States, with activity typically running from summer into fall.

Eastern equine encephalitis (source: CDC: About Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus, opens in a new tab). Rare but serious. CDC (source: CDC: Guide to Preventing Mosquito Bites, opens in a new tab) says cases mostly occur in eastern or Gulf Coast states, with only a few reported nationally each year.

Dengue (source: CDC Travelers' Health: Dengue, opens in a new tab). CDC (source: CDC: Guide to Preventing Mosquito Bites, opens in a new tab) says limited local spread has been reported in Florida, Hawaii, Texas, Arizona and California. Its 2024 report counts locally acquired cases in Florida (85), California (18) and Texas (2). See the CDC report (source: CDC MMWR: Increase in Travel-Associated and Locally Acquired Dengue Cases, United States, 2024, opens in a new tab).

Malaria (source: CDC Travelers' Health: Malaria, opens in a new tab). In 2023, Florida reported 7 locally acquired malaria (source: CDC Travelers' Health: Malaria, opens in a new tab) cases and Texas reported 1, per a CDC health alert (source: CDC Health Alert: Locally Acquired Malaria Cases in Florida, Texas, and Maryland (2023), opens in a new tab).

Zika (source: CDC Travelers' Health: Zika, opens in a new tab) and chikungunya (source: CDC Travelers' Health: Chikungunya, opens in a new tab). CDC reports (source: CDC: Zika Cases in the United States, opens in a new tab) local Zika (source: CDC Travelers' Health: Zika, opens in a new tab) transmission in Florida and Texas in 2016 and 2017, and Florida recorded 11 locally acquired chikungunya cases in 2014 (source: CDC MMWR: Transmission of Chikungunya Virus in the Continental United States, Florida, 2014, opens in a new tab).

The usual suspects

Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. CDC (source: CDC: Guide to Preventing Mosquito Bites, opens in a new tab) names Aedes aegypti as the primary vector of dengue (source: CDC Travelers' Health: Dengue, opens in a new tab), chikungunya (source: CDC Travelers' Health: Chikungunya, opens in a new tab) and Zika (source: CDC Travelers' Health: Zika, opens in a new tab), and says Aedes mosquitoes are active both day and night. See CDC's range map (source: CDC: Potential Range of Aedes Mosquitoes, opens in a new tab).

The southern house mosquito. UF/IFAS (source: UF/IFAS: Southern House Mosquito, opens in a new tab) reports Culex quinquefasciatus in all 67 Florida counties. It feeds at night and is the principal vector of St. Louis encephalitis (source: CDC: About St. Louis Encephalitis, opens in a new tab) virus in the southern U.S.

The black salt marsh mosquito. UF/IFAS (source: UF/IFAS: Black Salt Marsh Mosquito, opens in a new tab) says it emerges in large numbers after rain and flooding, accounts for a large share of Florida insecticide applications, and can carry EEE (source: CDC: About Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus, opens in a new tab).

The gallinipper. It hatches after heavy rain, and UF/IFAS says its bite is painful but that it does not significantly transmit disease in Florida. See the Okaloosa County Extension note (source: UF/IFAS Okaloosa Extension: When the Rain Brings the Giants, opens in a new tab).

A flat-bottom boat on a cypress bayou with Spanish moss and sunbeams through the mist — Standing water after heavy rain is where floodwater mosquitoes begin.

Rain, floods and hurricane season

CDC explains (source: CDC: What to Do After a Hurricane or Flood (mosquitoes), opens in a new tab) that adult mosquitoes generally do not survive hurricane winds, but floodwater mosquito eggs hatch afterward, and disease-carrying mosquitoes may increase about two weeks later. UF/IFAS says gallinipper populations can surge one to two weeks after heavy rain.

Where to check locally

State and county health departments publish current mosquito-borne disease reports. Check the one for where you live or plan to travel.

Agency	What it publishes
Florida Department of Health (source: Florida Department of Health: Arbovirus Surveillance, opens in a new tab)	Weekly arbovirus surveillance reports and human case tables.
Texas DSHS (source: Texas DSHS: Mosquito-Borne Diseases, opens in a new tab)	Mosquito-borne disease pages, West Nile (source: CDC: About West Nile, opens in a new tab) maps and weekly arbovirus reports.
Louisiana Department of Health (source: Louisiana Department of Health, opens in a new tab)	Weekly arbovirus reports by parish. Search the site for arbovirus surveillance.
Alabama Department of Public Health (source: Alabama Department of Public Health: Mosquito-borne Diseases, opens in a new tab)	Mosquito-borne disease information and case counts.
Mississippi State Department of Health (source: Mississippi State Department of Health: West Nile Virus and Other Mosquito-Borne Illnesses, opens in a new tab)	West Nile (source: CDC: About West Nile, opens in a new tab) and other mosquito-borne illness updates.
Harris County Mosquito and Vector Control (source: Harris County Public Health: Mosquito and Vector Control Division, opens in a new tab)	Houston-area mosquito control and treatment information.
Florida Keys Mosquito Control District (source: Florida Keys Mosquito Control District: Mosquitoes and Methods, opens in a new tab)	Species and control methods for the Keys, where more than 50 species occur.
American Mosquito Control Association (source: American Mosquito Control Association, opens in a new tab)	National professional resources on mosquito management.

Where locals want an easier routine

A long table at dusk covered with boiled crawfish, corn and potatoes under string lights, with friends at the far end

The backyard boil

Hands full, tables set under the trees. Nobody wants to stop and reapply mid-meal.

A man fishing from a wooden dock on a calm bay in soft golden light, with a cooler and tackle box beside him

The dawn pier

Bait, rods, coffee and a cooler. One fewer bottle in the tackle box.

Three friends seen from behind on a screened porch at night under string lights and a ceiling fan

Evenings on the porch

String lights and a long conversation that should not end at dusk.

A wooden fishing pier on the Gulf coast at sunset, seen from underneath with the sun between the pilings

Beach days and sunsets

Sand, salt and sunscreen are already a lot to carry. A capsule adds almost nothing.

Intro offer ends the day before launch

Pre-order special: buy one 90-day supply, get one free

Two 90-day supplies (180 days) for $49.95, shipping together at launch. Expected launch date March 20, 2027, subject to change. Details on the pricing page.

Reserve my spot

The routines, side by side

This compares the day-to-day routine of each approach, not how well each one works.

Approach	How you use it	What you carry	Upkeep outdoors
Repellent sprays and lotions (DEET (source: U.S. EPA: Find the Insect Repellent That Is Right for You, opens in a new tab), picaridin (source: U.S. EPA: Find the Insect Repellent That Is Right for You, opens in a new tab), oil of lemon eucalyptus (source: U.S. EPA: Find the Insect Repellent That Is Right for You, opens in a new tab))	Apply to exposed skin and follow the label	A bottle or tube	Reapply as directed, including after swimming or heavy sweating
Long sleeves, long pants and permethrin (source: CDC Travelers' Health: Avoid Bug Bites, opens in a new tab)-treated clothing	Wear it	Clothing	Follow the product's care instructions
Screens and removing standing water	Maintain screens, empty containers weekly	Nothing	Ongoing around the home
MosquitoNoBite daily capsule (launching 2027)	Take daily as directed on the label	A small bottle	Nothing to apply or reapply

CDC's prevention guide (source: CDC: Guide to Preventing Mosquito Bites, opens in a new tab) recommends EPA (source: U.S. EPA: Find the Insect Repellent That Is Right for You, opens in a new tab)-registered repellents, loose long sleeves and pants, permethrin (source: CDC Travelers' Health: Avoid Bug Bites, opens in a new tab)-treated clothing, window and door screens, and emptying water-holding containers weekly. It says the effectiveness of non-EPA (source: U.S. EPA: Find the Insect Repellent That Is Right for You, opens in a new tab)-registered repellents is unknown. Oral supplements are not on CDC (source: CDC: Guide to Preventing Mosquito Bites, opens in a new tab)'s list of recommended measures.

Sources and further reading

Each link opens the original source in a new tab. Local conditions change, so check the originals.

CDC

University of Florida IFAS

State and local agencies

Rules and standards

U.S. EPA: Find the Insect Repellent That Is Right for You (source: U.S. EPA: Find the Insect Repellent That Is Right for You, opens in a new tab)

General information only. This page is not medical advice and may not reflect changes made after the review date. Speak with a healthcare provider about your own situation.

MosquitoNoBite is a dietary supplement scheduled to launch in 2027. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Talk to your healthcare provider before starting any supplement.