The Garden City Telegram
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City preparing for mosquito season
Published 6/11/2009 in Local News
By RACHAEL GRAY
Summer brings many outdoor activities, county fairs and festivals. But the moisture in the air and hotter temperatures also bring an unwelcome guest: the mosquito.
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Laurie Sisk/Telegram — Mike Walker, city of Garden City Public Works, spreads mosquito anti-growth pellets Wednesday in a pool of standing water near Talley Trail and Taylor Avenue.
Mosquitoes became more than just an annoyance in August 2002 when the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported the first case of West Nile virus in Kansas after a horse became infected. Since then, West Nile, which is transmitted when a mosquito carrying the virus bites an animal or person, has affected many Kansans and has taken lives.
The Kansas Department of Health reports that people 50 and older are at the highest risk to develop severe illnesses. Less than 1 percent of West Nile victims develop severe illness.
The KDHE's Web site reports that most mosquito bites do not result in West Nile. Symptoms of the virus include fever, headache, muscle weakness, skin rash and swollen glands. Most infections last only a few days. More severe symptoms can include high fever, neck stiffness, disorientation, nausea, tremors and convulsions. In fatal cases, the infection leads to inflammation of the brain called encephalitis.
One such fatal case was here in southwest Kansas, when Scott City resident Steven Rapier, 45, died in January after a year and a half battle with West Nile.
Daniel Neises, an epidemiologist at the KDHE in Topeka, said that the current risk of West Nile is about the same as it was last year.
"West Nile is here to stay. We're going to expect a few cases every year," he said.
People who live in close proximity to livestock are at greater risk but no area of Kansas is more at risk than another, he said.
To increase safety and help cut down on Garden City's mosquito population, the city already has prepared to spray.
City Public Works Director Sam Curran said the chemicals and preparation for spraying are ready to go.
Now the workers just wait for higher, more humid temperatures. The hotter, more humid air makes mosquito eggs mature at a faster rate. Ample conditions bring the highest concentration of mosquitoes, which is prime time for spraying.
Since mosquitoes constantly are adapting to and evolving to battle preventative drugs and chemicals, Curran said, the city tries to stay ahead of them. He said they rotate or use new chemicals every year.
Curran said the city has been pre-treating standing water, which is a mosquito haven. Mike Walker, a city traffic signal technician, is in charge of treating standing water and spraying for mosquitoes.
Walker puts a hormone inhibitor in the standing water to keep the laid eggs from maturing. He mostly uses it on large areas with standing water such as the ditch along Talley Trail and along other drainage ditches. He also uses it at the Lee Richardson Zoo because of the ponds and large animals.
Walker said the chemicals are loaded and ready to go whenever the city starts to notice large mosquito populations or starts to get complaints. He uses Biomist, a pesticide, that atomizes and becomes droplets in the spraying machine.
Once the machine expels the droplets and they hit the mosquitoes, the droplets pop and dissolve. After the droplets pop, they evaporate and leave no residual traces. The pesticide doesn't seep into the ground.
When the time is right, Walker will start spraying at prime mosquito time, just before dusk. He said he usually heads out along Talley Trail and is done by midnight.
Although the spray is effective, it doesn't rid the city of all mosquitoes.
Some of the mosquitoes escape the spray because they come in from areas outside the city limits in places they can't spray. And some residents request that the city doesn't spray their neighborhood.
Some requests come because of health and environmental concerns, but Curran said that most residents don't specify the reason of their request.
Aside from avoiding standing water and applying bug spray frequently, Curran said there are other preventative measures when it comes to mosquitoes.
"A lot of times people forget about those old tires in their backyards. After rain water collects in these they become good nesting areas for mosquitoes," he said.
Curran said that people like having ponds in their backyard for decoration but a lot of times don't take care of the pond.
Walker added that even tarps with standing water could become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
"It only takes a teaspoon of water for mosquitoes to lay their eggs," he said.
Walker reminds citizens to frequently dump bird baths and outdoor dog water every couple days.
The KDHE offers suggestions to reduce the risk of being bitten:
- Use an insect repellent on the skin. Products that contain DEET, Picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus are effective in repelling mosquitoes. Follow the label directions for all repellents closely.
- Wear protective clothing when practical.
- Limit outdoor activities at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
- Remove standing water where mosquitoes breed (i.e. clogged gutters or unused tires).
- Use larvicide with Bti in water that cannot be drained or removed.
- Change water every three days in birdbaths, pet bowls and wading pools.
- Mosquito-proof your home by repairing window screens and screen doors.
On the Web:
What precautions do you take against mosquitoes? Talk about it at SWKTalk.com.
Download a copy of "Pests That Affect Human Health," a publication from Kansas State University.
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