No one is a fan of being bitten by mosquitoes, but the small insects are already beginning to appear in local areas.
That’s both good and bad news for Mosquito Joe franchise owner Darryl Nevins, who said he has seen plenty of mosquitoes along Gosling Road during his evening runs.
“I’m training right now for an Iron Man. I’ll be racing in the CB&I triathlon and the Iron Man in July so I run up and down Gosling a lot, and the last couple of weeks it’s just been brutal. I can’t believe how many mosquitoes there are,” Nevins said of the downside of a lot of mosquitoes.
Mosquito Joe is one of several companies in The Woodlands that offer regular mosquito spraying. Nevins said his once-every 21 day spraying as well as full perimeter pest control for other insects help battle the biting pests.
Nevins said he is preparing for a busy season of pest control to protect area residents, adding that he expects the mosquitoes to be out in droves this spring because of Hurricane Harvey.
“This season we’re looking at staffing up pretty heavily right now. We’re going through interview processes. We’re thinking about doubling the size of our fleet and our technicians.” Nevins said. “With all that standing water from Harvey, there were so many potential breeding areas. It would have been nearly impossible for people to have control of their yards. I think because Harvey was late in the season we probably haven’t seen the full brunt of what that’s going to bear with mosquito breeding, but I’m pretty sure by Easter this year we’re going to notice how bad it’s going to be. My bet is that it’s going to be pretty bad.”
Viruses Carried by MosquitoEs in Montgomery County
Chris Elliot, the public information officer with the Montgomery County Public Health District, said the two main viruses carried by mosquitoes in the local area are Zika and West Nile. He explained that there is no method to predict how big of an outbreak there will be each year.
“It’s hard to say from year to year (how large of an issue a particular virus will be). It really depends on the treatment that goes on beforehand-which means mosquito dunks, spraying, preventative measures from the community in general-on whether or not that spread is going to happen,” Elliot said.
Zika is spread mostly by the bite of an infected Aedes species mosquito (Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus). Unlike most mosquitoes that are active mainly from evening to early morning, these mosquitoes bite during the night and daylight hours. Common symptoms of Zika are fever, rash, headache, joint pain, red eyes and muscle pain.
“A lot of times people will get (infected), but they won’t really feel the symptoms right away,” Elliot said. “If they show symptoms they should probably go to their private care physician and get checked out, maybe get tested to see if that’s something they have.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, Zika can be transmitted sexually and be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus. Infection during pregnancy can cause certain birth defects.
“We know that Zika is something that can be transmitted so a lot of times we ask people if you’re going to do things then use protection,” Elliot said. “We ask people if you think you might have Zika avoid having a baby for like a year.”
There are no vaccines to prevent or medications to treat West Nile Virus. According to the CDC, the best way to avoid contracting West Nile is to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.
“Fortunately, most people infected with West Nile Virus do not have symptoms. About one in five people who are infected develop a fever and other symptoms. About one out of 150 infected people develop a serious, sometimes fatal, illness. You can reduce your risk of West Nile Virus by using insect repellent and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants to prevent mosquito bites,” the CDC website states.
Elliot agrees that the best way to avoid mosquito-borne illnesses is to use protection and preventative measures.
“A lot of it has to do with prevention. Use spray with DEET, picaridin. Make sure you’re spraying your pets and spraying you. Keep mosquito dunks, devices you can put in the water, to kill larvae. Make sure you’re preventing (mosquito breeding and bites) in your home,” Elliot said. “Within the last month we’ve had a pretty good amount of rain, and I think the standing water from there will make a big impact on the amount of mosquitoes in the area. Usually the county is pretty good at doing prevention, spraying and stuff like that. I think from there, I keep reiterating this, making sure you’re safe and using mosquito repellent when you go out will help.”
COMPANY USES TECH TO FIGHT PESTS
Mosquito Joe offers two mosquito services: traditional 21-day sprays and mosquito mist systems.
“We do what’s called the barrier treatment service where we come to your home every 21 days. We have a trained licensed technician with the Texas Department of Agriculture. The first time we come to your house they’ll walk the property, look for problem spots in the yard and then we spray all the foliage in your yard and try to create a barrier, a perimeter so mosquitoes can’t re-enter your yard,” Nevins explained.
The technicians kill and knock down adult mosquitoes and then search for breeding grounds to kill the mosquito larvae before it hatches. After the first spray about 80-85 percent of mosquitoes are killed. The second spray gets rid of 90 percent and by the third spray the yard has total coverage.
“The first time we spray, we’re killing everything that’s there but there’s still mosquitoes that are about to hatch that have already previously bred before we’ve gotten there. The chemicals we use breaks down over the course of 21 days in the Texas sun and the rain.”
The misting system is for customers who prefer to manage their own yard on a daily basis.
“We also offer mosquito mist systems where we come, do a one time installation, set up a system that runs through your garden, along your fence, along your house. We can customize it to whatever part of your yard you want to control. It comes with a little remote. We have an iPhone app coming out later this year. Customers can do their own mosquito control daily year round. It’s a little bit different class of chemical. It doesn’t have a residual effect so as soon as you spray it knocks down all the mosquitoes in the yard, but it doesn’t prevent future mosquitoes,” Nevins added.
The chemicals are EPA certified and pose no threat to children or animals if ingested. In about five to 10 minutes the chemical congeals to the leaves and blades of grass and prevents mosquitoes from landing. The company keeps material safety data sheets that can be provided at the customer’s request. Insecticide applicators like Mosquito Joe are also required by law to keep records of every yard they spray. Information includes but is not limited to date, heat index, wind speed, chemicals used, who the technician was that applied the chemical and more.
HOW to prevent mosquito breeding
“Mosquitoes can basically breed in a bottle cap of water. So we do a bit of education with the customer,” Nevins said. “It’s always standing water, and it’s not where people look. A lot of people think they have to have a big, standing pool of water with green algae in it, and really something as simple as a bottle cap of water is where mosquitoes can breed.”
Mosquitoes do not fly far from their breeding sites so simple actions taken around the home will do much to reduce their numbers and keep families safe. The Woodlands Township Environmental Services Department has the following recommendations:
Regularly drain items that hold standing water including buckets, tarps, tires, plant pots, clogged gutters, birdbaths, trash and debris, toys, etc.
Treat standing water that cannot be eliminated with Mosquito Dunks or Mosquito Bits. These items are non-toxic, inexpensive and available at a local home-and-garden store.
Do not over water lawns. Lawns in the region require no more than one inch of water per week, including rainfall. Over watering creates breeding sites in low areas and in nearby storm drains.
Keep grass clippings, leaves and yard debris off the street and out of storm drains.
Properly maintain pools, spas and pumps.
For more information about mosquito abatement, to report a problem area, or to request surveillance, call the township’s Environmental Services Department at 281-210-3800.
Tips to prevent mosquito bites
There are several precautionary steps residents can take to protect themselves from mosquito bites.
“Wearing long sleeves helps. Going out during the day is a little better than going out in the mornings and at night,” Elliot said. “If you have standing water-buckets, tires or whatever-make sure you get that out of the way. If you can’t, like there’s a ditch or something where the water is standing, use mosquito dunks.”
The Montgomery County Public Health District recommends taking the following precautions:
Consider staying indoors between dusk and dawn when disease-carrying mosquitoes are most active.
Use repellent. DEET, picaridin, IR3535, and some oil of lemon eucalyptus and para-menthane-diol products provide longer-lasting protection. Follow label instructions to optimize safety and effectiveness.
Weather permitting, wear long sleeves, pants and socks when outdoors.
