Former Commissioner Trish Becker, Anastasia Mosquito Control District

🪨 Sunday Funday – Bugs in Clay

Step back in time and explore the world of ancient life!

Join us for Bugs in Clay, where you’ll paint your own clay fossil imprints and take home a piece of prehistory. 🦋 Perfect for budding paleontologists and creative explorers of all ages.

💡 Fun Fact: Some of the oldest insect fossils date back over 400 million years, offering scientists a window into early ecosystems and how bugs helped shape our planet’s history.

📅 September 21st, 2025
⏰ 10:30 AM – 12 PM
2 PM – 3:30 PM
📍 Disease Vector Education Center – St. Augustine, FL

Dig into creativity and history—drop your favorite prehistoric emoji if you’re ready to make your own fossil art!

🕷️ Sunday Funday – Origami Arachnids

This Sunday Funday, fold, crease, and create!

Join us for Origami Arachnids, where you’ll learn step-by-step how to turn paper into a detailed spider masterpiece. Whether you’re new to origami or a folding pro, this hands-on craft is fun for all ages.

💡 Fun Fact: Spider silk may look delicate, but it’s incredibly strong—by weight, it’s tougher than steel! Spiders use it for wrapping prey, making egg sacs, and even floating through the air on a silk thread.

📅 September 14th, 2025
⏰ 10:30 AM – 12 PM
2 PM – 3:30 PM
📍 Disease Vector Education Center – St. Augustine, FL

🕸️ Are you ready to make your own eight-legged friend? Drop a 🕷️ emoji if you’re joining us!

🦗 Crazy Science – Hide in Plain Sight

Class is in session—time to test your eyes! 👀

This week’s Crazy Science theme is all about camouflage and mimicry in the insect world. From stick bugs that blend in with twigs to katydids that look just like leaves, you’ll discover how creatures survive by hiding in plain sight. 🌿🪲

Get hands-on as we explore real specimens, practice spotting hidden insects, and even try your skills in a camouflage challenge!

📅 September 3rd–6th, 2025
⏰ 11 AM
📍 Disease Vector Education Center – St. Augustine, FL

Think you can outsmart nature’s best disguises? Join us and find out!

Great information.

Countdown: 5 Days to World Mosquito Day!
🦟 Why Do Mosquitoes Like You So Much?
One of the biggest reasons mosquitoes find you is because of something you do all the time — breathe! When you exhale, you release carbon dioxide (CO₂), and mosquitoes can smell it from up to 35 meters (about 115 feet) away.
When a female mosquito picks up the scent, she doesn’t fly straight to you — she zigzags through the air, following the CO₂ trail like a heat-seeking missile. Once she gets close, she switches to other clues to find her target more precisely.
At that point, she starts picking up on:
Body heat 🌡️
Sweat and body odor 💧
Chemicals like lactic acid and ammonia
Even the smell of tiny bacteria on your skin
In fact, scientists have found over 350 different chemicals in human skin odor alone — and some of them are more tempting to mosquitoes than others.
So, if you feel like mosquitoes love you more than your friends, you're probably right!

FDOH says 4 people have died from a flesh-eating bacteria in 2025, including a St. Johns County resident The Florida Department of Health said four people have died from flesh-eating bacteria in 2025, including a St. Johns County resident.

🗽🇺🇸“A mighty woman with a torch,
whose flame is the imprisoned lightning, and her name Mother of Exiles.
From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome;
her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”