New pest abatement district begins mosquito war

Citizens are being urged to search their own property for potential mosquito hatching sites.

The new Elmore County Pest Abatement District is up and running and encouraging area residents to battle mosquitoes by being vigilant about standing water on their property.

"Basically, it only takes an inch of water and three days of 80-degree temperature for them to hatch," said Marsha Sellers, one of the five new board members of the district.

Free chemicals, known as a "bacterial dunk," which can kill mosquito larvae, can be obtained by contacting Mir-M. Seyedbagheri at the Elmore County Extension Office. A special mosquito hotline also has been established to report mosquito infestations. Call 1-866-884-2891 to report any problems (and leave a message).

Mosquitoes, which carry the West Nile virus, have been responsible for the deaths of several Elmore County residents over the last few years. A number of other residents have suffered debilitating effects of the virus, which typically first manifests itself as a flu-like fever with severe headaches.

It was the threat of that virus that led voters to approve creation of the pest abatement district last fall. Besides Sellers, the new board members for the district are Doug Mayne, Lisa Knox, Sharlene Carrie and Merrill Brown, all selected by the county commissioners from a list of volunteers.

Because government agencies receive tax money a full year after their budgets have been set, this year the district will continue to rely on county and health district funding to battle the mosquito threat. Next year it will begin relying on its own tax resources.

The district's board has approved a mosquito abatement plan developed by Seyedbagheri, which is similar to the effort done by the county last year. "Mir knows where they are," Sellers said. "He has excellent expertise in this area."

The core of the program is citizen involvement in identifying standing water, and then treating it with the "dunk" chemicals. Anything from plates under pots to ornamental ponds to tires used as swings can serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes, Sellers noted.

"We encourage people to report areas where mosquitoes might breed, we want everybody helping everybody, but the first rule is to be vigilant on your own property," she said.

In areas where there are large mosquito infestations, district staff will go out and "fog" the areas at night, while the pests are on the ground.

The district hopes to avoid having to use aerial spraying if possible, because of potentially adverse impacts on bee populations. Owners of bee farms are notified in advance of aerial spraying to give them a chance to protect their hives.

The irrigation district is helping fight mosquitoes by having its crews carrying the "dunk" chemicals with them as they patrol the district's canal systems, applying the chemicals as needed.

And special "hot spot" areas have been identified, such as Fisher Road and the Hoffman Ranch area, as well as areas around Hammett, where special efforts already are being made to battle the bugs. Cemeteries are also an area of concern because the small pots on many graves to hold flowers also fill with standing water, becoming fertile breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Sellers said the district, which covers all of the county, is particularly concerned about the Pine/Featherville area, where recent rains have left a number of areas of standing water, in addition to stillwater pools around the river.

"Right now, we have a manpower problem," Sellers admitted. "Mir could really use some volunteer help. Unless we can get someone, like the Boy Scouts or some other group, we're going to have a hard time getting to all the areas we need to reach."

Still, she believes the district will make a difference, and considerably cut down on the threat posed by the mosquitoes.

Furthermore, mosquitoes won't be the only concern of the district.

"We called ourselves a pest abatement district, because if we manage to annihilate all the mosquitoes, there are more pests that will come along, say Mormon crickets, and it will be our job to deal with those as well."

But the first priority will remain mosquitoes, because of their potential impact on human health.

"We're doing everything we can to get the little buggers," she said, "but citizen awareness, making sure your property doesn't offer them any breeding grounds, is still our first line of defense."