Mosquitoes plaguing a waterlogged Hi-Line

A week sponsored to promote mosquito control is coming a little late for this region this year — with the heavy rainfall and standing water in the area, most local residents are very aware of the insect this year.

June 23-29 is National Mosquito Control Awareness Week. Terry Turner, Hill County Mosquito District supervisor, said the pest — which can bring serious illness as well as irritation — is out in force well ahead of the week.

He said the traps he is placing out — which normally collect 250-500 mosquitoes — are full to the brim, with probably more than 4,000 insects in them.

“I’ve never seen it this bad,” Turner said.

One of the major problems with mosquitoes, their infecting people with West Nile Virus, also seems to be hitting already. Turner said 13 states already have confirmed cases, and even here people are reporting dead birds — often a sign of the potentially deadly virus.

The mosquitoes, as well as transmitting the virus leading to West Nile disease and its more serious complications, also transmit other diseases such as malaria, yellow fever and dengue.

Turner said he and his crews have been out trying to reduce the mosquitoes already, and were able to run the fogger to kill the insects Thursday night.

He said improvements to the equipment have helped with that. A new fogger lets the crews spray the insecticide while driving as fast as 20 mph — the machine shuts the fogger off if they drive faster than that — compared to the older version, which required them to drive at about 5 mph.

It also lets the crews run the equipment in a smaller vehicle, making it easier to access areas, Turner said.

Thursday night was the first night the wind was low enough, and the rain held off, that the crews could effectively fog, he said.

He also has been spreading pellets in standing water, including in the storm drains in Havre, to prevent the mosquito larvae from developing into adults. With the recent rain, he is going back to do that again, Turner said.

He said he also has pellets and dispensers called shakers, free to residents within the mosquito district, that they can use in water standing on their property.

“They can help us out by picking up the shakers,” Turner said, adding that he had to get more in already this year.

“We had a big run on them,” he said.

Turner said the shakers will be available at the mosquito district office, at 1405 West 2nd St., and at the Extension Office in the Hill County Courthouse.

The pellets — which leave the larvae alive, to be eaten by beneficial insects — are safe and can be placed in animal drinking water without causing any harm to family pets, he said.

He also said the fog used to kill adult mosquitoes is well-tested and should have no ill effects on people, although he recommended people avoid walking through it or standing in when the crews put the fog out just to be on the safe side.

“The stuff we’re using is pretty dog-gone safe,” he said.

Another big help is people making sure standing water is eliminated from their property, he said. That includes changing the water in items such as dog drinking dishes or bird baths at least once a week, and emptying any containers that have collected water and making sure rain gutters and tarps or covers such as for a swimming pool are emptied and dry.

One cup of water can breed 250 mosquitoes, while a 5-gallon can half-full of water can breed 10,000 of the insects.

A particular problem is water in old tires. Turner said the combination of standing water and the heat generated in the tires speeds up the life cycle, with thousands of mosquitoes potentially hatching out in just a few days.

He said the district is looking into creating a tire-collection program to reduce old tires lying around, but people also can dispose of old tires at the local landfill.

And people need to protect themselves, especially in the evening when the West Nile-carrying culex mosquitoes come out.

Turner said people need to use an approved mosquito repellant, such as DEET, and wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, especially in the evening, to protect themselves.

“If we can prevent one person from getting, sick we want to do that,” he said.