COOL WEATHER CHILLS MOSQUITO TESTS

Cooler weather and more in the forecast has brought an end to mosquito testing in Southeast Missouri, at least for the time being.

The good news: scientists have found no mosquitoes carrying the deadly encephalitis virus.

In the wake of record flooding this summer, federal and state health officials worried that an increase in the mosquito population could bring an outbreak of the disease.

Navy personnel have been catching mosquitoes and a Southeast Missouri State University biology professor has been testing the pests to determine if they are carrying the deadly encephalitis virus for two months.

Two-man Navy teams, consisting of an entomologist and a preventive medicine technician, have been working in Cape Girardeau, Kansas City and Hannibal.

In the three mosquito surveillance areas, over 330,000 mosquitoes have been trapped by Navy personnel. Additional mosquitoes have been caught by state and local health department officials working on the survey.

Lt. George Schoeler, an entomologist, and preventive medicine technician Michael Hill have been working from the Cape Girardeau County Health Center. They plan to leave Saturday.

"The cold weather is the reason we're going home," said Schoeler. "It's predicted to stay cold and wet and that should keep the mosquito population down."

The number of mosquitoes has dropped dramatically, said Schoeler.

"In Charleston, in one lady's backyard in one night in one trap, we caught over 10,000 mosquitoes," he said. "Last night we only caught about 100."

Two teams have worked from Cape Girardeau. The first left at the end of August, replaced by Schoeler and Hill.

This second team is trapping mosquitoes in Cape Girardeau, Scott, Perry, Ste. Genevieve and Jefferson counties. The first team also studied mosquitoes from Mississippi and Scott counties.

Mosquito traps are baited with dry ice. Carbon dioxide lures mosquitoes looking for a meal. The trap includes a small light and a fan to draw the pests in and flush them into a net.

The researchers also stand still for a few moments in each location and count the number of mosquitoes that land on them.

"We are augmenting the health department's efforts, giving them manpower and expertise," Schoeler said.

He said the work can be tedious. "We sort them and identity the ones we're concerned about. We count them all."

The captured mosquitoes are turned over to Christina Frazier, Southeast Missouri State University biology professor, who checks for the encephalitis virus.

Her operation too will shut down in a week or two.

She has tested thousands of mosquitoes. All the results have been negative.

"You have to have a high tolerance for frustration in this job," Frazier said.

"But it is important for people to know the disease is not there, especially with all the mosquitoes out there. All they have to put up with is the inches."

Frazier said the St. Louis encephalitis virus usually runs in a 10-year cycle. "But we haven't had an outbreak since 1975. We're overdue. With all the mosquitoes out there this year there was a chance we would find the virus."

While the threat is mostly over for this year, some mosquitoes will survive the winter.

Frazier said the state has asked for federal funding to continue the research in the spring as part of post-flood recovery operations.