Drive targets mosquitoes

More News Coaching track athletes Cold case heats up Man armed with rifle Video Medieval Faire Sports

BLACKFOOT - The big, white trucks with flashing yellow lights that leave a trail of mist lingering behind them have become a familiar and welcome sight to residents in Bingham County.

''Everybody understands the consequence of not having mosquito control after last year,'' said Allen Loe, executive vice president of Adapco Vector Control Services, the company the county contracted to provide abatement measures through 2008.

Voters in Bingham County, which had the highest per-capita rate of human West Nile in the state last year, approved a Mosquito Abatement District in May by a margin of 80 percent.

Loe said Adapco, a Florida-based company, employs eight local people and hopes to add four more positions to the roster later this summer.

Each morning, crews attack mosquito larva by casting pellets, granules and ground up corn cobs on ponds, stagnant pools along the Snake River and any other water source where mosquitoes breed.

The pellets contain a naturally occurring bacteria called BTI. The bacteria kills the insects in their larval stage, but it's safe for wildlife and friendly to the environment.

''About the only thing it affects are mosquitoes and black flies,'' Loe said.

In the evenings, four trucks roll through residential and rural areas in Bingham County fogging adult mosquitoes.

Each truck is GPS and computer equipped and at 10 mph, puts out 9.4 ounces of pesticide per minute. The trucks have a kill range of 300 feet.

Compressors blow the pesticide out in a mist form that lingers in the air, the computer regulates the flow of the chemical and records speed. Data from each truck is used to develop maps to help track application.

The active ingredient in the pesticide, Permanone, is sprayed at a concentration of .0035 pounds per acre, said Dan Markowsky, a biologist with Adapco.

''It's about the size of a common sugar packet,'' he said.

Markowsky said communities throughout the U.S. have experienced similar problems due to the spread of West Nile.

''The whole idea is that it's here now,'' he said. ''Our goal is to kill mosquitoes and lower the risk to people.''

To do that, Markowsky said the county needs to employ a proactive approach regarding mosquito abatement. Identifying what types of mosquitoes are in the area and testing them for West Nile is part of that. So far, two sample pools from Bingham County tested positive for the virus.

Markowsky said larvacide kills two types of mosquitoes - aedes dorsalis, which lays eggs in flood-water areas, and culex tarsalis, which lay eggs on permanent water sources.

Markowsky said the blood-sucking insects live about a month and a half.

''If it's super hot, that will knock them down,'' he said.

Loe said only female mosquitoes bite.

Mosquitoes, like all insects, have three body parts, a head, a thorax and an abdomen.

They have six legs and two wings. Males have feathery-looking antennas and a short palpi between them. Females have wiry antennas and the palpi is extended to serve as a sort of biological hypodermic needle.

Loe said both adult mosquitoes and larva can live through the winter.

Adapco also applies pesticide by plane, and he said pilots alert both residents and local authorities when they intend to spray.

Loe said early efforts by Bingham County Emergency Coordinator Craig Rowland kept mosquitoes down until the company took over this month.

The turn-key program employed by Adapco Vector Control will cost the county just over $200,000 for the remainder of the year.

''It sounds like a lot until you think about everything that's being done,'' Loe said.

As well as surveillance and abatement, Adapco provides community education and assistance.

Residents can call the company for assistance to eliminate breeding areas on their property.

By Debbie Bryce

Current Rating: 0 of 0 votes!

Rate File: Select Rating: * ** *** ****

Reader Comments

Submit a Comment

Commenting Rules

Report a Comment