PEMBROKE PINES, Fla. -- For the first time this year, Broward County Mosquito Control took to the skies Friday morning to fight the pesky insects.

At 5 a.m., a plane loaded with insecticide set to target areas in Southwest Ranches and Cooper City took off from North Perry Airport.

The aerial assault is necessary because of the massive number of mosquitoes in the area. Three weeks of almost nonstop rain have left behind a lot of standing water -- the perfect breeding ground for the insects.

"We're just trying to knock down the numbers of mosquitoes that we're seeing. We're seeing high numbers of mosquitoes all over the county with all the standing water, and we don't want any potential threat of any disease," said Joe Markheska of Broward County Mosquito Control.

The director of Broward County Mosquito Control told Local 10's Kellie Butler his office has been swamped with complaint calls. Usually this time of year, Mosquito Control receives about 200 calls per day. Recently, they have been receiving over 500 calls per day.

If the weather allows, Mosquito Control will conduct another aerial mission Saturday, this time over Davie. The boundaries for that flight will be I-595 to the north, Griffin Road to the south, 148th Avenue to the west and Pine Island Road to the east. The flight will take place between 4:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.

Besides being annoying, mosquitoes can transmit a number of diseases, including West Nile virus.

The Broward County Health Department has issued a health warning, urging people to try to minimize their exposure to mosquitoes, especially at dusk and dawn. Officials said people should use repellants and make sure there is not any standing water near their homes where mosquitoes can breed.

For more information on how you can prevent mosquito-borne illnesses, click here to visit the Broward County Health Department's Web site.