The “mosquito plane” came flying over fast and low just as I was readying this morning for work. The “neeEEEEYOWWWWWWwwwwww” of the prop plane reminded me that I haven’t heard it buzzing over lately. That is most likely because of the drought. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t mosquitoes around, especially when you consider I live close to a navigable river, a number of bayous and some back bays and quite a few marshes.
All of that came back as I took to the field for work today. I went to a very nice house right on one of the marshes in Orange County, just a couple of “gator’s” tails away from the Neches River. As I got out to talk to a very nice gentlemen who was worried about my bald head getting burned — I left my straw Panama-fedora in the car — I had to bat away a few ‘skeeters. A couple of the pesky critters then decided they’d try to steal away with me inside my car as I was departing, but I dispatched them in pretty quick order.
Not that I am an expert on mosquitoes but I recognized the pesky ones assaulting me as salt marsh mosquitoes which are bothersome but not carriers of West Nile. Just which type of salt marsh species they were is beyond me for we have almost as many types of skeeters down here as we have boudain and etouffee recipes. There are about 50 different species of mosquitoes in my general vicinity, according to the Jefferson County Mosquito Control Division. People in these parts usually encounter about 12 of those species.
The mosquitoes of the salt marsh, rice field and Asian Tiger species are all known to be aggressive little biters. But most of the disease-carrying ones such as those flying around with West Nile Virus come from the Culex family.
Our county’s mosquito control folks cheerfully point out that folks move to the country seeking the “good life” away from the urban areas but sometimes forget that that the “good life includes snakes, alligators, rats, mosquitoes, and mosquito control aircraft coming over at 100 feet early in the morning or in late evening.”
Among the helpful hints that our JCMCD suggests for curbing mosquito populations at home include this note about bug zappers:
“Bug zappers are best placed in your neighbor’s yard so that the mosquitoes will go next door! Turn them off if the mosquitoes are heavy. If you do have one, don’t hang it right over the patio table – move it back from where you will be located.”
Our JCMCD has kind of a wicked sense of humor but they probably need it because where we live, mosquito control is a war that never ends. Yeah, we have a drought but that doesn’t mean your cabinets should be DEET-free zones, especially if you live in Southeast Texas.
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