Flying Tiger Attacks Imminent

With warm weather and plenty of rain in our forecasts, look forward to a bumper crop of these annoying and potentially dangerous critters this spring and summer. Hiding mainly in the shade of foliage and coming out to feed on nearby warm-blooded targets, mosquitoes are the carriers of a wide range of life-threatening diseases, including malaria, varieties of viral encephalitis (West Nile, Eastern Equine, La Crosse, etc.), Yellow Fever, Dengue Fever and canine heartworm, which, while previously thought to affect only dogs, has rarely been seen in humans in the last decade.

Even though our local government periodically sprays for mosquitoes during the summer months, they remain a problem, as our area is rife with breeding grounds, both natural and artificial. Standing water is pretty much the only thing that mosquitoes need to breed (other than a willing mate and nourishment), and it doesn't take much of it - just a few ounces of the undisturbed liquid - to provide a nursery for hundreds if not thousands of the biters. Backyard buckets, undrained flowerpots, clogged roof gutters, folds in tarps, old tires, plastic cups and bottles and almost anything that will hold water for the short matter of days it takes for eggs to be laid, wrigglers to wriggle and adult mosquitoes to emerge will do. What to do about it? Simple backyard, barnyard and business site prevention measures are key in keeping the mosquito population down. Empty the water-holding buckets and pots and store them upside down, clean leaves and other debris from roof gutters. Dispose of used tires or cover them with plastic or take them indoors for storage. Pick up and dispose of trash, like cups and bottles. Anything to eliminate standing water wherever it is will give mosquitoes one less place to call home.



For more information about prevention and a good description of what mosquitoes are all about, go here and here. Good kid versions here and here (last with very good prevention pictures and descriptions).

A useful reminder: The Wicomico County Landfill has free consumer (no businesses) tire disposal on Saturday, May 9th. Amazingly enough, Worcester County sponsors a tire amnesty day on the same May 9th at the Worcester County Central Landfill. Well, maybe not so amazing, as the State of Maryland is promoting these throughout the state as part of a program to reduce cast-off tire numbers and to decrease mosquito infestation.

For a description of the "new" bug in town (above picture not exactly life-sized, but they surely do seem that big when they bite), go here.