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Water World By John Albright Shasta Mosquito and Vector Control District
Well, it appears that the north state did its annual, sudden, overnight change from cold and wet to hot and dry. Since the mosquito life cycle is so closely intertwined with water a person might think that the job of the mosquito fighter would become less frantic when the weather turned "dry". In fact the level of activity has really picked up around here and the frantic pace will no doubt continue till the weather turns cold and wet overnight in the fall sometime. In the world of hairy two-legged creatures with skeletons on the inside of their bodies this fact seems counterintuitive (which is a really great word with six -- count 'em six -- syllables). The truth of the matter is that, although the mosquitoes are living in the same places we are, they are in a whole different world in many respects. In the first place, mosquitoes like the heat just fine. They are cold-blooded like lizards and snakes, and therefore take on the temperature of their environment. One way to look at it is that when the temperature outside warms to 98.6 their bodies are just reaching our bodies' normal operating temperature. So the weather that makes us lethargic makes the mosquito wax romantic. Also, if the temperature exceeds the mosquitoes' comfort zone they are not compelled to brave the heat and attend important social functions with their in-laws. They are quite content to wait out the heat in a cool culvert or tree hole till the weather turns more to their liking. These are, of course, environments that most of us cannot experience without a great deal of claustrophobia and guilt. From its tiny world the mosquito barely notices when the weather dries out, in part because we provide so many wet places for them. As I sit here at my keyboard I am looking out at log decks being kept wet by large sprinkling systems which, at times, may harbor millions of mosquitoes and their offspring in waterlogged (pun intended) nooks and crannies. In fact one of the big problems we deal with as a mosquito district is the mosquito habitat provided by such human activities as mill operations. But lest we cast a jaundiced eye upon the normal and necessary activities of industry in our area let us look first at our own environs and the mosquito worlds we create in our own back yards. Take a walk in the morning through virtually any subdivision and look at the water running down the ditches from lawn runoff. That water wasn't there before we built houses and left it to the automatic sprinkler systems to decide how much water is enough. Runoff water goes somewhere, and creates pools and puddles in places no self-respecting mosquito would have hung out before the houses were constructed. Of course it is unreasonable to think that due care and diligence on the part of homeowners, mill operators, ranchers, or anyone else can ever eliminate the innumerable micro-habitats that provide shelter and comfort to our blood-sucking insect foes. That is one of the reasons that the work of mosquito and vector control districts will always be so indispensable. If you are being bugged by mosquitoes and need help separating their world from yours please remember that we are here to help. Please call the Shasta Mosquito and Vector Control District if you have any questions about mosquito problems in your area and what we can do to help at (530)365-3768.
For More Information:
(530) 365-3768 |