Fwd: Mosquito meeting with Mr. Mister Mosquito last week
Dave Barker as Communications of PTA at Sagamore Hills Elementary School
-------- Forwarded Message --------
| Subject: | Mosquito meeting with Mr. Mister Mosquito last week |
|---|---|
| Date: | Tue, 1 Sep 2015 22:06:03 -0400 |
| From: | Dan Acker as Building and Grounds of PTA at Sagamore Hills Elementary School <buildinga...@sagamorehillspta.org> |
| To: | ptab...@groups.sagamorehillspta.org, buildinga...@sagamorehillspta.org, communi...@sagamorehillspta.org, pres...@sagamorehillspta.org, trea...@sagamorehillspta.org, admini...@sagamorehillspta.org, julie_m...@dekalbschoolsga.org |
I met with Jason Smith from Mr. Mister Mosquito last Thursday and walked the grounds with him. He enlightened me that mosquitos are everywhere during the day, hiding in trees, bushes, shrubs, ivy, etc to stay out of the heat. In the evening, the females come out to “feed” (yuck). After walking the grounds, he identified that we have quite a bit of natural foliage; a forest in the front and north side of the campus, a hillside full of bushes and ivy on the south side by the entrance to the garden, a creek and bushes and trees across the track, and even two large trees in the courtyard. He said that we could clear bushes all we like but he predicted that wouldn’t cut the population down significantly. He, of course, stated that the most effective method is to spray his brand of synthetic chemical Permethrin, a chemical in the class of pyrethroids. I hadn’t heard the decision from Julie at the time I met with Jason so I didn’t stop him there from further talk about spraying chemicals. I did talk at length with him about the chemical Permethrin he uses and the concerns we have with the health of the kids and the other cool organisms we have here at the school, but again that was before I heard from Julie. Jason went on to say that he could spray an organic version made from Rosewood and peppermint oils, but says it isn’t very effective.
He also suggested giving us bacteria pellets (a naturally occurring bacteria that is biodegradable) to sprinkle in the creek water every now and then. After doing some research, the bacteria pellets are “larvaecides”, and cause the larvae to get sick, not feed, and die of starvation. I researched bacterial larvicides and apparently the bacteria doesn’t differentiate, so other larvae such as caterpillars might be affected according to the EPA.
He told me that mosquitos only need water pools the size of a bottle cap to breed. He made it sound like looking for pooling water on campus was almost futile. They only need one pool in one area. However, mosquitos cannot travel far from their homes. Mosquitos start dying at temperatures below 50degrees, so we are almost out of the breeding season thank goodness. Of course, he quoted 2,374 cases of West Nile virus in the US in 2013, and mentioned the Chikungunya virus as well because those are the mosquitos that bite during the day and retreat during the evening.
The EPA and the CDC both recommend:
1. Remove mosquito habitats, target water sources.
2. Prevent exposure by wearing long clothing and using repellant.
3. Use a larvicide in water sources when applicable
In severe or significant situations, the EPA and CDC apparently advocate the use of spraying a pyrethroid, saying the benefits outweigh the risks.
We have a parent that has complained, but has a trend of mosquito problems been identified? Maybe if we asked more parents it might, or might not. My recommendation at this point, and I will leave it to you guys, is that I can, with volunteer help, do the following:
1. Walk the grounds and eradicate ANY area or thing that might be holding water. There are a number of painted tires, pots and cans on campus that probably should be disposed of. I bet we uncover some areas.
2. Do a radical bush removal up and down the creek. Maybe the little blood suckers are breeding in the creek, then flying up and living in the bushes. Do we own the property directly on the other side of the creek?
3. Not sure if we can really make a dent in the ivy removal on the south side of the campus, adjacent to the garden entrance nor the foliage in the front of the school. That would be a MAJOR undertaking, just to have it grow back in the spring.
4. Fall and sub 50 degree weather is coming soon.