Valley takes action against outbreak of mosquitoes
Cities and counties are battling an outbreak of mosquitoes caused by a deluge of rainfall last week from Hurricane Alex.
Cameron County Assistant Director of Environmental Health Gustavo Olivares said an intensive ground spraying program, combined with spreading of larvicide pellets in ditches and standing water, is being used to combat the biting insects, which can spread West Nile virus and dengue fever.
“We’re all doing ground spraying, we’re out in colonias putting briquettes to stop the hatching of larvae,” he said. “We’ll be spraying with trucks, starting (Monday) night and rural areas,” he said.
He advised residents to stay inside, wear long sleeves, cut their grass and dump standing water from flower pots, pet bowls during spraying.
County workers will be distributing larvicide pellets in ponds and large pools of standing water such as drainage ditches, Olivares said.
Irrigation canals usually are not an issue because water in those is moving, but drainage ditches can become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, Olivares said.
Aerial spraying of mosquitoes will not be used unless the problem grows out of control, he said.
In Harlingen the city will commence spraying for mosquitoes today, a receptionist at the city health department said. Spraying the entire city will take about a week using Harlingen’s three spraying trucks.
Willacy County Judge Aurelio “Keter” Guerra said county crews started spraying rural areas on Tuesday.
“We’re starting with once a day to see if that will be effective,” he said. “Obviously we’re not spraying all the rural areas, just the residential areas, he said.
County workers will also be throwing larvicide pellets into ditches and areas with standing water, “I even started doing that myself,” he said. “I carry some of those in my truck.”
Raymondville City Manager Eleazar “Yogi” Garcia said his city has mosquito spraying chemicals and larvicide pellets left over from Hurrciane Dolly that are being used to spray in both
mornings and evenings to combat the plague of biting insects.
“We don’t have a lot of ponding areas,” he said of lakes and drainage ditches. “The public is pretty good about dumping water out from birdbaths and swimming pools and flower pots.”
In San Benito, crews were set to begin spraying Wednesday morning, Assistant City Manager Chuck Jalomo said.
In La Feria, City Manager Sunny Philip said city crews also started to battle mosquitoes on Tuesday.
“We’re starting to spray some areas this afternoon,” he said. “My hope is that there will be an area-wide program like there was after Hurricane Dolly,” Philip said, referring to the 2008 aerial spraying program conducted by contractors hired by Cameron County. “That is the most efficient way.
La Feria workers will also place larvacide pellets in any bodies of standing water, Philip said.
City dwellers should cut weeds and mow grass to reduce the breeding habitat for mosquitoes, which can carry dangerous diseases, Philip said.
“The city will do its part by spraying, but residents should dump out standing water and by cutting their grass,” Philip said.
In Santa Rosa, a City Hall spokeswoman said spraying was done in the town on Monday and workers were planning to spray again on Tuesday night.
In Rio Hondo, crews that began spraying Monday night were set to continue spraying Wednesday, Public Works Director Albert Cabrera said.
