Mosquitoes bugging residents
Photo
A female mosquito takes a meal from a human host by sucking the blood through her labrum, visible here as a thin, red line between her head and the skin.
JANESVILLE — Yikes.
The mosquitoes have descended this year like none in recent memory.
They are quick and small. They are voracious and stealthy. They don’t follow the rules and bite during the day. Somehow, they zero in on that one spot not dripping in spray—an eyelid, perhaps.
Anything bug-related, including itch relief, is flying off the shelves at area stores.
Some people are opting to simply stay inside. A golfer recently reported abandoning the course. At Markley’s Mid-City golf, more mini-golfers than ever in the four years of the current owners are using the bug spray at the counter.
Margaret McGrath, outdoor volunteer at Rotary Gardens, offered up a prayer and asked God to part the swarm.
Then she chuckled, figuring that God instead sent a few extra her way to chide her for the trivial request.
“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” she said.
The response from Phil Pellitteri, bug guy with the UW-Extension?
“It’s not my fault,” Pellitteri said. “I always blame the mosquitoes on the weather man.”
Just for the record, Pellitteri doesn’t sound like he’s sorry. Times like these make his life interesting.
Pellitteri said people forget how bad mosquitoes can be after several good years. This is probably the worst he’s seen in eight summers. But he’s seen this kind of population at least four or five times in his 33-year career.
Even the flood-wracked summer of 2008 doesn’t compare because heavy rain and flooding can literally wash mosquito eggs down the river.
Wisconsin has 54 kinds of mosquitoes, but it’s the summer floodwater mosquitoes that make or break us, Pellitteri said.
And this year, “They’re about as nasty as they can get,” he said.
Regular deluges of rain this summer have activated dormant mosquito eggs in ditches and other places where temporary standing water provides the perfect hatching ground. The eggs can lay dormant up to four years, hatching only if water remains 10 days or more.
The dormant eggs also don’t hatch in one flooding, so the mosquitoes cunningly avoid putting all their eggs in one basket.
“They go through this serial hatching,” Pellitteri said.
The floodwater mosquito has adapted very well: “Like a computer-generated nightmare, they beat you on so many levels,” Pellitteri said.
“They’re always there, just ready to take advantage of the opportunity. It just depends on rainfall patterns.
“It’s not pretty.”
The volunteers at Rotary Gardens who are scaring up swarms of the insect would agree.
“It’s horrendous,” staff member Mark Dwyer said.
“We’re having our own blood donation here. We think it’s the worst in recent memory.”
Emptying backyard containers of standing water won’t stymie the summer floodwater mosquito, which can migrate 20 to 30 miles from where they hatch, Pellitteri said. He cited cases of Spring Green mosquitoes blowing into Madison.
Even landscape spray is not the optimal answer.
Spraying for a wedding or barbecue is reasonable, Pellitteri said, but regular spraying can create an ecological imbalance and lead to a profusion of aphids, for instance.
“Pick your poison,” Pellitteri said.
So when can we expect relief?
The mosquito population could take three to four weeks to settle down, Pellitteri said. Light rains that soak into the ground shouldn’t set us back.
It’s the gully washers that will haunt us.
Aug 19, 2010 at 8:33 a.m.
Suggest removal
Any strong smelling plant in your yard will keep misquitoes away. We use marigolds and lavendar around the outside of the house. We have to make a run for it to our garage though.
Aug 18, 2010 at 8:17 a.m.
Suggest removal
There was a double rainbow on Sunday, awesome. I knew somebody would pin the misquitoe problem on Obama. No pun intended.
Aug 18, 2010 at 7:40 a.m.
Suggest removal
tlynne, there was one last week not as good.
Yesterday's was a perfect half circle. Very bright colors.
Aug 18, 2010 at 6:38 a.m.
Suggest removal
It is "The Previous Administrations Fault"!
Aug 18, 2010 at 1:36 a.m.
Suggest removal
gazettefan. that rainbow was awesome, last time i saw one of them was when me and my late husband were on our honeymoon in menomenee in 1997
Aug 18, 2010 at 1:28 a.m.
Suggest removal
that wild catnip in your backyard will repel them skeeters
Aug 18, 2010 at 1:15 a.m.
Suggest removal
you all must smell real pretty. Mosquitoes flock to certain pheromones. They also flock to certain types of body wash shampoo deodorant etc. Besides head to toe bug spray and a few layers of clothes, the easiest repellent is body odor.
If your sweaty and are starting to stink from 4-5 hours of hard work, the bacteria on your body start to break down your sweat and exude a smell mosquitoes dislike. Some people no matter what they do, even bug spray, attract mosquitoes they just smell that good.
Aug 17, 2010 at 10:16 p.m.
Suggest removal
I like how Obama can spend billions of our money to bail out the banks, but when it comes to mosquitos he leaves they little people to fend for themselves. Typical democratic attitude.
Aug 17, 2010 at 9:46 p.m.
Suggest removal
One of them took me for a nice ride. Did anyone else see that rainbow?
Aug 17, 2010 at 9:38 p.m.
Suggest removal
I have never seen them so bad in my life time. They are literally everywhere, and if you are still for just a few seconds you have them landing all over you. It's not bad if you are a runner-walker-biker. As once you move at a good pace, they don't seem to bother you. Once you stop; however, it's a full scale attack!
Interestingly the mosquito finds it's prey by sensing CO2 from when you breath, or sweat. Some people give off CO2 that is much more attractive to the mosquitoes senses. I have a neighbor who is literally immune to them. I mean they literally don't bother the guy. Wish that I could say the same. If there is a large crowd, they all seem to migrate to me first! Believe it or not, the mosquito is responsible for more deaths than every war ever fought throughout human history! Fortunately; very rarely do they transmit deadly disease around here.
Aug 17, 2010 at 9:17 p.m.
Suggest removal
Gazettefan/ Chuckle, Chuckle.
Aug 17, 2010 at 9:03 p.m.
Suggest removal
SLAYERTHEGREAT - Um, just a thought, can you use your powers? Thanks.
Aug 17, 2010 at 9 p.m.
Suggest removal
Target practice for the Niles boys.
Aug 17, 2010 at 9 p.m.
Suggest removal
gazettefan wrote, "They keep me up all night arguing about whether they should eat me right there or drag me into the woods first."
I guess we share the same neighbors; and some people worry about mosquitoes.
Aug 17, 2010 at 9 p.m.
Suggest removal
THE CITY OF JANESVILLE SHOULD SPRAY THE CITY FOR BUGS.INSTEAD OF WAITING FOR MORE DISEASES.
Aug 17, 2010 at 8:09 p.m.
Suggest removal
This is one of the only reason that I am happy that I was transfered to Lordstown. I dont think I have had a bite all year here.
Aug 17, 2010 at 8:05 p.m.
Suggest removal
They keep me up all night arguing about whether they should eat me right there or drag me into the woods first.
Aug 17, 2010 at 7:41 p.m.
Suggest removal
And seriously, there is NO hour of the day when they're not out.
Aug 17, 2010 at 7:40 p.m.
Suggest removal
I'm not kidding, take the image down! Please.
Aug 17, 2010 at 7:34 p.m.
Suggest removal
Long pants, long sleeves, hat, sprayed to the hilt. All necessary for a trip to the garden. Even had to put on the turkey hunting gear once or twice. Looks weird, but it keeps 'em off.
Aug 17, 2010 at 7:19 p.m.
Suggest removal
I have literally made my children come inside at dusk to avoid them being a buffet for these nasty little creatures, and it seems like mosquitoes these days have alot more nasty bite then when I was a kid. I don't remember swelling up like my kids do to their bites.
Aug 17, 2010 at 6:47 p.m.
Suggest removal
The misquitoes are very sneaky too.I used to be able to hear them and see them before they landed, now I don't know I've been bit until I start itching. Could these be a highly evolved, super breed of misquitoes? Are they really misquitoes or a form of alien being taking samples? WHAT IS THE GOVERNMENT HIDING??!!! Sorry, I lost it there for a minute.
Aug 17, 2010 at 6:37 p.m.
Suggest removal
Our garden is sooo infested, I can't get my veggies out! Hubby sprayed down, head to toe, and was bitten in his arm pits, on his eyelids and they were trying to get in his ears! Nasty!
Aug 17, 2010 at 6:26 p.m.
Suggest removal
The Wisconsin state bird has been wicked this year!
Aug 17, 2010 at 6:19 p.m.
Suggest removal
yes they are terrible, this year i think ive bit bit about the number of times i've been bit in my life.actually scratching one right now
Aug 17, 2010 at 6:03 p.m.
Suggest removal
ACK! Nobody wants to look at this critter! We have enough of our own.
Before you post a comment, consider this:
Note: GazetteXtra.com does not condone or review every comment. Read more in our User Policy AgreementPost Comment
Commenting requires registration.