Bloodsuckers likely here until Thanksgiving

EDINBURG — Expect those unwelcome, blood-sucking pests to stick around until almost Thanksgiving, a county health department leader said Monday.

Along with recent heavy rainfall, mosquitoes and their eggs have descended upon the Rio Grande Valley.

Local officials said they are trying to eliminate the pests, but it could be two to three months before the region-wide mosquito problem subsides, said Eduardo Olivarez, who heads the Hidalgo County Health Department.

"This is not going to go away overnight," he said.

Along with many area cities and school districts, county workers have made passes with fumigation trucks and other chemicals designed to kill the mosquito larvae and eggs, Olivarez said. The chemicals are designed to kill only mosquitoes, not other wildlife, he added.

But workers can only distribute the chemicals during favorable conditions.

Fumigation trucks only spray at dawn and dusk - when mosquitoes are most active - and the chemical is effective only if conditions are dry and there's less than 10 mph winds, Olivarez said. Also, workers can spray every three or four days, otherwise the bugs can become immune to the chemicals.

The larvacide pills that kill mosquito larvae growing under water can only be dropped in stagnant pools - without current or splashing from rainfall.

So, with forecasters calling for rainfall through Friday, it is unlikely that workers will be able to make much headway against the mosquitoes this week, Olivarez said.

"We're doing the best we can to make this thing work," he said.

Exactly how much the anti-mosquito battle will cost in the end remains to be seen. But Olivarez said between the efforts among local cities and the county, "you're talking about millions of dollars."

Above all, Olivarez recommends that people help fight mosquitoes by making sure their lawns are cut short and that any standing water - in flower pots or bird feeders, for instance - is drained.

"If everybody in the county did it at the same time, that would help tremendously," he said.

____

Jared Taylor covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach him at (956) 683-4439.

To help fight mosquitoes in your area, make sure:

>> you have no standing water in flower pots, old tires or bird feeders.

>> your lawn and other vacant lots' grass is cut.

Source: Hidalgo County Health Department