In addition to backyard barbecues and baseball games, the arrival of summer also brings a dreaded pestilence familiar to all Northern Virginians: the mosquito. In response to recent concerns about the spread of the West Nile Virus, the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has designated the week of June 20-26 as “Mosquito Control Awareness Week” to raise awareness of the common pest.
According to the Fairfax County Health Department, the average suburban backyard can be just as much of a mosquito haven as a fetid swamp. Gutters, drainage pipes, bird baths, and anything that collects standing water can become a breeding ground for thousands of mosquitoes. Eliminating standing water is the single most important thing that area residents can do to help keep down the mosquito population.
Commercially available mosquito traps have been marketed for residential use for several years, but be warned that neither the Centers for Disease Control nor the American Mosquito Control Association endorses traps as a proven solution. In some cases, the backyard mosquito trap might lure more mosquitoes into your yard. If keeping your own yard clean doesn’t work, the best recommendation is to work with your neighbors to eliminate standing water throughout the community.
In addition to ensuring proper drainage, the CDC recommends using a good insect repellent. The traditional chemical DEET has been joined by some equally effective newcomers in recent years. Picaridin is a newer chemical repellent, while oil of lemon eucalyptus and IR3535 are biologically derived synthetic repellents. No matter what type you use, ensure the concentration is 10% or greater in order to be effective.
Although longtime residents of Northern Virginia have probably heard the old urban legend that much of downtown D.C. was once a swamp, the CDC recorded only eight cases of West Nile Virus last year in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia combined, and none proved fatal. However, even non-lethal mosquito bites are a big annoyance, so it makes sense for all of us to do our part to keep the mosquito population down.
