Excessive Rain Makes Mosquito Spraying a Challenge
We've seen some very large mosquitoes coming out in droves lately, and the weather isn't helping with controlling the population.
Brian Glascock with Caddo Mosquito Control told me the insects out now are flood pool mosquitoes, and they're very abundant. He said he's caught many of them in his traps today, and the department's trucks have been out trying to spray as much as they can.
The big challenge has been the excessive amount of rain we've seen lately. We're experiencing the perfect weather for mosquito-breeding -- hot, humid and very wet -- but it's horrible for insect-spraying. In fact, Glascock said last night was the first real opportunity in two weeks that his staff was able to spray throughout the parish.
"We should have a good night again tonight, and hopefully the weather will hold off so we can continue this week," he said. "The weather is not giving us any favors at all."
He also said the trucks can't spray when it's raining, because it creates somewhat of a chemical spill. He said they can spray when it's foggy or a little misty, but not during a good downpour.
"We've been prepared to spray for almost a week, and then every time around 5:30, we get these torrential downpours for an hour or two," Glascock said. "We really don't want to send the trucks out in the bad weather."
As for worries about Zika or West Nile Viruses, Glascock said these type of mosquitoes are not carriers. However, any insects he catches in his traps are sent to the state to be tested. He said there have been no positive West Nile cases this year.
"It's been a strange year for us, because usually -- as you well know -- we have West Nile, especially in July and August, at least a couple of cases," he said. "We haven't had any this year, which is a good thing. So, it'll be a wait and see type thing for September."