Mahoning Valley braces for invasion of mosquitoes

Mahoning Valley braces for invasion of mosquitoes

By WILLIAM K. ALCORN

alcorn@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The drought in Northeast Ohio, while hard on crops and gardens, has an upside: It has kept mosquitoes at lower than usual levels.

But don’t be fooled.

A little rain, just enough to leave some water in containers, such as old tires and cans and in ditches, and the dormant mosquito eggs will, in a week or 10 days, hatch and become a horde handing out nuisance stinging bites.

“They make a quick comeback; and with the extreme heat larvae develop more quickly,” said Dr. Gary Richard, state public health entomologist with the Ohio Department of Health and head of its Vector-borne Disease Program.

Of more concern are the disease-carrying Culex mosquitoes and black-legged deer ticks.

“While pest mosquitoes may not be too bad because of dry conditions, these are favorable conditions for the production of Culex mosquitoes, carriers of West Nile virus,” Richard said.

Activity this summer is well ahead compared to this time last year, he said.

In 2002, first year of a huge West Nile outbreak, it was a very warm and dry year as well. Even though people are not being pestered by mosquitoes, they should still use repellent if going to be outdoors and wear appropriate clothing, Richard said.

Read the full story Monday in The Vindicator and on Vindy.com.