SERIOUS skeeter alert issued

[mensplace]

The state of Florida and CDC have issued alerts for the spread of mosquito borne diseases.

I saw my first Asian Tiger mosquito up here this week:

"This mosquito has become a significant pest in many communities because it closely associates with humans (rather than living in wetlands), and typically flies and feeds in the daytime in addition to at dusk and dawn. The insect is called a tiger mosquito because its striped appearance is similar to that of a tiger. Aedes albopictus is an epidemiologically important vector for the transmission of many viral pathogens, including the Yellow fever virus, dengue fever and Chikungunya fever"

Also included in the warning is the Malaria mosquito. Apparently, they are concerned in that Dengue and Chikungunya are already spreading. You can look up the results of the two; my point is that folks in the south need to be aware of symptoms and take precautions when out.

[lexusnexus]

Thanks for the heads up, MP. Scary thought. Like anything else it will find its way up north. The founding fathers wanted to know why someone decided to put the capitol in a mosquito infested swamp, also known as DC (sometimes I think it's still a mosquito infested swamp ).

Dan

[mensplace]

These two diseases, never mind the others spread by these two types of mosquitos, are serious stuff and apparently already spreading down near Vero Beach. As prolific is the Tiger Mosquito is now, it's not a bad idea to wear DEET ..even though I hate the stuff. As international as Atlanta is it probably won't take long. These varieties don't need swamps.

[Worth1]

I guess I'll have to go back to drinking gin and tonic.

Worth

[ginger2778]

Oh Great! Just got back from the Amazon, and I thought Malaria danger was over, now this!

Marsha

[KarenO]

I was complaining about the frost potential here tonight but that will fix those little blood suckers anyway. So there's a silver lining.
protect yourself all you folks in the southern regions
K

[mensplace]

Growing up in the south I always heard folks say they were hopeful of a cold winter to kill off so many of the mosquitoes. Then, when I lived for a while in Wisconsin we had the coldest winter on record. Seems I distinctly remembered swarms of the largest mosquitos I had ever seen.

When living in the Carolina low country I remember trucks rolling through the neighborhood spraying HUGE clouds of DDT to kill the mosquitoes and stop the malaria. Later, planes were used to try to leave poisons on the tops of standing water. Today's worst mosquitoes don't require the standing water to reproduce.

Later, in Atlanta, they used C5A transports at rooftop level to cover the Atlanta are with tiny red pellets to kill the fire ants. That never worked either. Now, the fire ants have hundreds of miles of networks that run beneath developments and fields.

Poison and more poisons and the insects merely evolve. I have repeatedly sprayed the carpet with four insect bombs at a time for the black widows with very little impact. I don't lift a rock without being very careful.

Seems the insects are going to win.

[biodarwin]

We had a west nile positive pool about a block from our house last year

[Dewayne mater]

Our native mosquitoes are not to be trifled with either. We've been dealing for a few years with mosquitoes in N. Texas carrying West Nile virus. That is a powerful virus that has killed the old, infirm and young. It also took a guy I know who was a strapping 6'5" 240 , 32 year old in great shape and put him in the hospital for 6 months, coma for 3 months, and then over a year of rehab learning how to walk. He will have to use assistance walking for the rest of his life. So, in your neck of the woods, get rid of standing water, discourage mosquito breeding however you are comfortable doing so and wear DEET if you are outside, especially in the mornings and evenings when most of us garden in the heat. A pain to be sure, but, a necessary precaution.

DM

[AaronRiot]

Originally Posted by mensplace

Growing up in the south I always heard folks say they were hopeful of a cold winter to kill off so many of the mosquitoes. Then, when I lived for a while in Wisconsin we had the coldest winter on record. Seems I distinctly remembered swarms of the largest mosquitos I had ever seen.

When living in the Carolina low country I remember trucks rolling through the neighborhood spraying HUGE clouds of DDT to kill the mosquitoes and stop the malaria. Later, planes were used to try to leave poisons on the tops of standing water. Today's worst mosquitoes don't require the standing water to reproduce.

Later, in Atlanta, they used C5A transports at rooftop level to cover the Atlanta are with tiny red pellets to kill the fire ants. That never worked either. Now, the fire ants have hundreds of miles of networks that run beneath developments and fields.

Poison and more poisons and the insects merely evolve. I have repeatedly sprayed the carpet with four insect bombs at a time for the black widows with very little impact. I don't lift a rock without being very careful.

Seems the insects are going to win.

Terrible year for the mosquitos even up here in the north. We got eaten alive camping last weekend. We have the ocasional west nile virus up here. I despise the DEET too, but some years there's just no way around it. Insects tend to rise and fall in plague numbers and I'm sure we will see that with the invasives as well.

To be honest, it's a good thing that some forms of life are so resilient because it ensures the planet with live on, with our mess, after we are all gone.

I wouldn't worry much about widows underground, by the by; tough place to spin a web to catch the critters that feast on our crops.

[Kazfam]

This works well to deter mosquitoes - no DEET:

Coleman® Botanicals 4 fl. oz. Pump Spray Insect Repellent

My husband and son swear by it.