Just in time for the beginning of the summer outdoor season, June 23-29 was designated National Mosquito Control Awareness Week. The goal is to alert people to the dangers of mosquito-borne diseases, and to let people know how they can help control mosquito populations.
When I was a kid, we used to count to see who had the most mosquito bites. Somehow, being covered with bites was a badge of honor. Who cared if they itched a lot; that’s where the honor lay.
Back then we didn’t worry about mosquito-borne diseases. Yellow fever, which had brought terror to many areas (including Philadelphia, which lost 5,000 lives to a 1793 epidemic) ebbed as marshy, low-lying areas were drained or filled in. In the 1940s and 50s, malaria in the United States had been knocked out with potent pesticides. DDT is perhaps the most well-known of these substances developed to deal with the Anopheles mosquitoes that are the primary vector for the disease.
Yet while malaria and yellow fever are no longer the concern, West Nile virus and Dengue have gradually moved in. Cases of these and other diseases transmitted through mosquito bites have spread and now occur throughout the country.
West Nile Virus first appeared in North America in 1999 in New York state with 62 confirmed cases, and 7 human and 9 equine deaths. In 2001, 10 deaths were reported in 10 states. The range of the virus continued to spread and has now been found across the country. Currently, 65 mosquito and 300 bird species have tested positive in the United States for this virus. As of 2010, there were 1,196 fatal cases.
Over the past 16 years, Dengue has become more common in the United States, with the most cases in Texas, Hawaii and the Florida Keys.
It’s not just people that are at risk from mosquito-borne diseases. Dogs can contract dog heartworm from being bitten by an infected mosquito, and horses are at risk for eastern equine encephalitis.
If populations of adult mosquitoes get too high, many communities will spray pesticides to reduce the numbers. Individuals can help control mosquito populations by eliminating standing water on their property, even small quantities of it.
Especially with all the rain we’ve received this month here is timely advice from the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA), an international organization of nearly 2,000 public health professionals, formed in 1935.
“Because female mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, homeowners are advised to eliminate places where water can collect and stand in their yards and gardens. To reduce mosquito breeding grounds, dispose of cans, plastic containers, old tires and other items that can collect water. Turn over wheelbarrows and empty children’s wading pools. Clean clogged roof gutters, which can become prime mosquito-breeding pools. Periodically empty the saucers under ceramic pots to make sure they are not harboring mosquito larvae.”
Don’t wait until you see those quarter-inch-long, black, thread-like larvae wriggling around in a container of standing water. But certainly immediately drain any containers in which you find larvae.
To prevent mosquitoes from breeding in ponds, bird baths and other places that are intended to hold water, you can use Mosquito Dunks®, a biological control product. The active ingredient is Bti (bacillus thuringiensis israelensis), a bacterium that kills mosquito larvae but which is harmless to other creatures. A Mosquito Dunk will kill larvae for up to 30 days.
For personal protection, you can cover up, and also apply an insect repellent. Avoid damp brushy areas early in the morning. On a patio or deck in the evening hours when mosquitoes start to fly, set our citronella candles or use a Thermacell mosquito lantern. Mosquitoes may also be kept at bay by blowing a fan across your sitting area. The moving air also helps disperse your exhaled carbon dioxide, which leads mosquitoes to prey.
Pam Baxter is an avid organic vegetable gardener who lives in Kimberton. She is newsletter editor of the Green Valleys Association. Direct e-mail to firstname.lastname@example.org, or send mail to P.O. Box 80, Kimberton, PA 19442.