Mosquito Control 10-5

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
10-5-05
Contact Tom Hoefer
From Calcasieu Parish Mosquito Control Director Lucas Terracina:

Calcasieu Parish Mosquito Control is continuing its fight against hordes of mosquitoes produced by Hurricane Rita.

Aerial control units have been the mainstay of the operations covering large areas of the parish. Currently 4 aircraft are being used on a daily basis. Two of these belong to the parish operation, while the other two are via a contract with Clarke Mosquito Control/Dynamic Aviation. The US Air Force also made one flight using a C-130 over the western portion of the parish.

With all these assets a total of 558,650 acres have been covered. These efforts have assisted in reducing mosquito populations throughout much of the parish.

Ground units have also played a role during this time, but due to the obstructions on roadways, access to some areas has been limited. Each night conditions in the areas are improving allowing for more work to be completed.

Residents will continue to see mosquito populations fluctuate due to movement from their production areas. This will require additional treatments to alleviate the situation.

A cold front is expected through the area, which may delay our response to problem areas. The culprit for this delay will not be the cooler temperatures, but the associated high winds. Anytime winds are over 10 miles an hour, spraying shut down. This delay is expected for Thursday and possibly Friday evening.

Inspectors have begun their assessment of known breeding sites in an effort to begin larvicing operations. This will be necessary to curtail further production from these areas.

As soon as conditions stabilize and the winds subside, control operations will commence with both ground and aerial units.