By Amanda Casanova
The Daily News
Published October 1, 2010
Last week’s heavy downpours and high tides have brewed a perfect setting for mosquitoes on the island.
But John Marshall, director of Galveston County Mosquito Control District, said relief might be near.
“This looks like it’s not a big hatching,” he said. “We’ve seen the peak. Hopefully, over the next few days, levels will be tolerable.”
Colder weather moving over the area also will cut down on the number of mosquitoes, he said.
Thursday morning, Mosquito Control’s plane, capable of treating 10,000 acres per flight, sprayed the West End of the island, while trucks moved over Bolivar Peninsula. Texas City, Hitchcock and the East End were scheduled to be treated by today.
Marshall said Mosquito Control received about 200 requests for spraying Wednesday.
“That’s pretty much just routine end-of-September, first-of-October type of activity,” he said.
At the Moody Gardens golf course, Bill Pushak, general manager, said visitors had been complaining about the insects.
“With all the rain we had, it’s been pretty bad,” he said. “Last year was worse overall, but they’re still not fun to deal with.”
Pushak said the golf course is fogged every day to “make it a little less frustrating for the golfers.”
For those venturing outdoors at dusk, Kurt Koopmann, public information officer for the Galveston County Health District, said taking proper precautions is key.
Koopmann said picaridin, an alternate insect repellent, is just as sufficient as DEET in keeping the insects at bay.
Draining standing water in the yard also will help keep the mosquitoes away, Koopmann said.
“People don’t always think of this,” he said. “You’ll want to think about your bird baths or pots, anything with standing water that can be a reeding ground for them.”
“We expect over the weekend for the mosquito population to go down,” Marshall said. “National Night Out is next week, so we’re watching everything really close because we know everybody is going to be out in the evening.”
For more information contact Kurt Koopmann, GCHD Public Information Officer,
409-938-2211 or
kkoopman@gchd.org
