The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Sticking to the ground-only approach
By Adam Broderick
Mosquitoes are emerging late this year, in very high numbers, and public health concerns about West Nile virus have been circling.
County manager Matthew Birnie said that this year the early-season larvacide applications meant to prevent larvae from maturing into adult mosquitoes were inhibited because of the wet weather and the insects’ late emergence. Although the aerial spraying program is well established, Birnie said the practice has not been used in Gunnison County the last couple of years.
Aside from the concern of West Nile virus, some communities start spraying for mosquitoes in early June strictly to benefit people who want to enjoy the outdoors. But now that mosquitoes are in full swing, the question of whether to control populations from the ground or the air was back on the table at this week’s county commissioners’ board meeting.
Commissioners opted to not reinstate aerial spraying at this time. “They decided to stick with the ground-only approach again this year,” Birnie said.
Other reasons for sticking to the ground are the high amount of standing water and the rapid escalation of the mosquito hatch due to the late emergence. Birnie also said it was worth noting that the mosquito control district does not extend north of the Ohio Creek Valley.
