Waging a battle for blood

Traps and sprays are weapons in the mosquito fight

By Bob Miller ~ Southeast Missourian

The city sprays them and Dr. Christine Frazier studies them.

Together, the city and Frazier -- a Southeast Missouri State University entomologist who specializes in mosquitoes -- provide quite the double-team in the war against the blood-sucking insects.

The city sprays twice a week to keep the number of mosquitoes down. Frazier and the state health department set out traps every day to detect diseases like the West Nile virus that causes brain swelling.

Some Cape Girardeau residents -- like David Wilde who lives on Camellia Drive -- say there seems to be more mosquitoes in his neighborhood than normal this year.

"There's been quite a few around where I live," he said. "We have a drainage ditch nearby that stays full most of the time. And I know the city knows about it because I've seen the fogging trucks pause there."

Others, like Norman Chapman who lives on Pemiscot Street, say he hasn't noticed a difference, mainly because he spends most of his evenings indoors.

Slight increase

Frazier said she has noticed a slight increase in the number of mosquitoes in her traps, but she is only targeting one type of mosquito, the Culex pipiens species, the kind that is more apt to spread diseases like the West Nile virus, which has been found in a dead bird this month in Southeast Missouri.

Frazier and others at the university, through a contract with the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, operate a mosquito-trapping system and accept samples from all over the state.

The samples go through preliminary screenings at Southeast and samples that are not eliminated as possible virus carriers are forwarded to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta for further analysis.

So far, Frazier has not received West Nile-positive confirmation from the CDC, she said.

While Frazier works in a science lab, grinding up the winged critters and testing them for viruses, James Hillis, a public works employee, is more of a chemist.

His laboratory Wednesday night was Hazel Drive near Arena Park and his chemical was the insecticide malathion with a mineral oil carrier.

Hillis drives a small pickup truck twice a week through different parts of town. In the bag is a motorized contraption that fills up more than half of his pickup truck. The spraying motor is somewhat loud, but it sprays about 28 gallons of the mosquito-killing mixture in four hours.

"Normally, I split the town in half, but if we get calls, we'll concentrate on that area," Hillis said. "As far as the ballparks and areas like that, I can't get into those areas until later at night."

Hillis usually begins his drive at about 6 p.m. and goes until about 10 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday nights.

Frazier said the city does just the right amount of spraying. She said mosquitoes can build resistance to the chemical when areas are sprayed too much.

Standing water

Steve Cook, Cape Girardeau's environmental services coordinator, said residents can actively cut down on the number of mosquitoes by making sure they have no standing water in their yards.

"Prevention is the best thing you can do to control the population," he said.

Frazier agreed.

"The bottom line on this is the city can do just so much," she said. "If individual homeowners pitch in and make sure they don't have standing water, it would make a big difference. It's just amazing what removing breeding places can do to cut down on mosquitoes."

bmiller@semissourian.com

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MOSQUITO ADVICE

These preventative measures can drastically decrease the mosquito population in your neighborhood:

Do not allow water to accumulate for more than two days.

Check old tires, buckets, unused swimming pools, trash cans, wheelbarrows, the bases of flowerpots, pet dishes, plastic covers or any container that may collect water.

Change the water in bird feeders once a week.

Be sure to keep swimming pools and hot tubs clean and chlorinated.

Clean debris from rain gutters and remove standing water under or around structures. If you have a flat roof, check it for standing water after it rains.

Keep hedges and bushes trimmed and mow the lawn at least once a week. Mosquitoes can hide in the shaded areas, including tall grass.

Repair leaks or clear away puddles from around faucets and air conditioning units.

SOURCE: City of Cape Girardeau