The Mosquito Menace
By Katherine Hatcher

     They’re back.  And they’re hungry.  Mosquitoes are in the news a lot these days, thanks in part to the West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne disease that in one year spread from Massachusetts to Maryland via migrating birds.  According to the Virginia Department of Public Health, the West Nile virus has now been detected in Northern Virginia.  If that weren’t bad enough, mosquitoes also carry such diseases as St. Louis Encephalitis, Equine Encephalitis, and Lacrosse Encephalitis which can cause potentially fatal swelling of the brain; Dengue Fever, once known as “Breakbone Fever” for the intense skeletal pain it causes; Yellow Fever which disables the liver; Rift Valley Fever which can develop into hemorrhagic fever; Filariasis, in which millions of microscopic worms infest the lymph nodes; and Malaria, a parasitic disease which kills more than one million people every year.  Collectively, mosquitoes cause more deaths worldwide than any other creature.
     We used to rely on winter to reduce the risk of mosquito-borne diseases, because the low temperatures kill most of the infected mosquitoes.  Although the chance of contracting any of these diseases is small, the threat is rising rapidly, as mosquito populations are rising as well due to the unseasonably warm winters becoming a yearly trend, especially in the South.
     Mosquitoes need water to breed. The female mates as soon as she emerges from the final stage of development then goes in search of blood to nourish her several hundred eggs.  She then lays them as clusters that float on the water and hatch in about 48 hours.  In one month’s time a single female can be responsible for producing many thousands of offspring.  A complete mosquito control program such as the widespread spraying of pesticides is very costly and labor intensive.  Also spraying campaigns inevitably raise public concern about collateral damage to fish, birds and groundwater supplies.
     If you are bitten, try using a topical cream containing 1% hydrocortisone, or 2% dyphenhydramine hydrochloride, commonly known as Benedryl©.  However, prevention is the most effective way to reduce your exposure to potentially dangerous mosquito-borne diseases.  Eliminate any standing water in containers such as abandoned tires, plant trays, and tree stumps.  Make sure roof gutters drain properly.  Clean and chlorinate pools, outdoor saunas and hot tubs.  Cover when not in use.  Change the water in bird baths at least once a week.  Turn over plastic wading pools and wheelbarrows when not in use.  Make sure that doors and windows have tightly fitted screens.  If you have an ornamental pond, try to stock it with fish that eat mosquitoes.
     There are repellents available which contain DEET, however it is a potent chemical that can dissolve plastics and some individuals can be very sensitive to it.  It is also not advisable to use DEET on children or the elderly, or persons with upper respiratory problems.  In addition, there are now products available that actually attract and trap mosquitoes where they dehydrate and die.  For more information about these products, check out the website www.mosquitomagnet.com