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The mosquitoes are coming - be ready
By DENNIS MOORE
Published June 26, 2006
Who says we don't have seasons in Florida? We are beginning to make the annual transition from worrying about wildfires and parched yards to concerns of floodwater and mowing overactive lawns. Just as we begin to appreciate the lack of love bugs on our windshields, those daily rainfalls begin to occur like clockwork. Unfortunately, an abundance of rainfall means lots of hungry mosquitoes. Mosquito season is rapidly approaching, and Pasco County Mosquito Control District personnel are preparing for another year of battling these hungry pests. The mission of the district staff and three elected commissioners is to protect the health and well-being of the citizens of Pasco County through the prevention and control of mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases. Our task of locating and controlling mosquitoes and preventing you from becoming a blood meal is truly a moving target. Mosquitoes have four stages of development - egg, larva, pupa and adult - and spend their larval and pupal stages in water. The time from egg hatch to adult emergence takes about one week. When adult mosquitoes emerge, they can fly several miles in search of a blood meal - and yes, only the females bite. This is the protein she needs for her next batch of eggs - about 100 per batch. Although standing water from heavy rains is ideal breeding habitat for mosquito larvae, it certainly isn't the only place they grow. Before our recent tropical storm, most of our mosquitoes were coming from areas with permanent water bodies that have an abundance of aquatic weeds. We target certain aquatic weeds, such as water lettuce and water hyacinth, that allow mosquito production. During the full and new moon tides, areas of the tidal marshes will flood and produce large numbers of salt marsh mosquitoes. As the rains begin or high tides occur, areas that have been dry for many months will flood, giving rise to an abundance of several floodwater species. Rainfall patterns vary greatly over our region, so we use a series of rain gauges in 40 locations throughout the county to determine where our inspectors should focus their attention to find and control the larvae. Controlling mosquitoes in the larval stage is preferred, since it prevents a major emergence of the biting adult females. There are limits to where the trucks can gain access, so it is often necessary to use helicopters to inspect and spray for larvae. We monitor the adult mosquitoes using specialized traps in the 40 locations throughout Pasco. These collections are identified to species, and the counts are provided to staff members. They decide where to dispatch the night fogging trucks or airplanes that control the adult mosquitoes. Besides being a major nuisance, mosquitoes can transmit several diseases. The district currently tests for eastern equine encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis and West Nile virus. Every week during the mosquito season, the district staff draws blood from sentinel chickens located in cages distributed throughout the county and delivers the blood to the Department of Health's Tampa Branch Lab for analysis. If a virus is detected, that area of the county is thoroughly inspected to find and eliminate mosquito breeding sources and any larval or adult mosquitoes that may be present. The key to minimizing the risk of mosquito-to-human transmission is limiting your exposure to the stealthy pest. Your personal mosquito protection efforts should include the "five D's" recommended by the Florida Department of Health: * Dusk and Dawn. Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are seeking blood. For many species, this is during the dusk and dawn hours.* Dress. Wear clothing that covers skin.* DEET. When the potential exists for exposure to mosquitoes, repellents containing DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, or N,N-diethyl-3-ethylbenzamide) are recommended. Picaridin and oil of lemon eucalyptus are other repellent options.* Drainage. Check your home to rid it of standing water and containers, such as buckets and tires, in which mosquitoes can lay their eggs. One more word of advice. Don't waste your money on Bug Zappers. They kill many insects, but do a very poor job of controlling mosquitoes. Visit our Web site at www.pascomosquito.org for more information. The American Mosquito Control Association is observing Mosquito Control Awareness Week through Saturday to encourage mosquito abatement districts to educate their local residents. Dennis Moore is the director of the Pasco County Mosquito Control District.
[Last modified June 26, 2006, 00:23:27]
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