NEWS

Mosquito boom poses biting problem for Delaware residents

Jenna Pizzi
The News Journal
Eric Tutterow dumps a jar of dead mosquitoes into a collection box after checking a trap in Southbridge in Wilmington on Wednesday afternoon. Swollen waterways have created a higher-than-normal mosquito population this year.

Ella Dupree, a long-time resident of the Southbridge neighborhood of Wilmington, won't let her granddaughter play outside at dusk during the summer. The risk of red, itchy bites from the swarms of mosquitoes is just too high, she said.

"In the summer you can't even sit out on your step," said Dupree, who lives on Bradford Street near Barbara Hicks Park.

Although the biting bugs have always been a nuisance in the neighborhood, things have gotten much worse after near-record rainfall last month. The New Castle Airport tallied 12.52 inches, making it the second wettest June after 2013, when 13.66 inches of rain fell.

Across the state, heavy rains have swollen waterways and soaked fields and swamps, creating plenty of perfect breeding areas for the pests. In some areas, swarms are seen even during the day, when the bugs are usually not active.

Eric Tutterow, an intern with the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control's mosquito unit, checks several mosquito traps each day, including one in the backyard of a home on Bradford Street in Southbridge. Even at mid-day, a cloud of skeeters fills the air around Tutterow, a few landing on his bare arms.

Inside the trap — which are built to collect female mosquitoes, the only ones that bite — was a mass of dead bugs sucked inside over two nights. On June 1, the trap collected about 14 mosquitoes, a number that grew to more than 100 by June 9. By June 17, it was 446 — an average of 223 females per night. Any count over 25 is considered a nuisance.

In urban areas like Southbridge, a spike in mosquitoes is typically caused by water collecting in pools, bird baths or tires, said Tom Moran, who oversees state Mosquito Control in the northern part of Delaware. But this year is different.

"While the wetlands usually dry down by this time during the summer, if you get enough rain like we have this June, they can reach their saturation point again and mosquitoes can hatch off eggs in these areas that otherwise would be dry," Moran said.

The lifespan is typically two to seven weeks, depending on the species. The populations are closely tracked by public health agencies because of the threat of West Nile, a virus transmitted by mosquitoes. Last month, a 6-year-old Sussex County girl was found to have West Nile, the first Delaware case in two years.

Eric Tutterow checks a mosquito trap in Southbridge in Wilmington on Wednesday afternoon. Heavy rains have sent the mosquito population surging.

While state Mosquito Control treats adults with fog trucks and uses larvicide to kill the bugs before eggs hatch, the treatments are not always effective, said Bill Meredith, the program administrator of DNREC Mosquito Control. In urban areas, it can be difficult to target the right area because of the dense population, he said.

DNREC did a number of treatments throughout the state this week, leading up to the Independence Day holiday. Additional sprays will be scheduled as necessary.

Higher-than-normal mosquito counts also have been reported in Milford, Camden, Laurel and Dover.

Mary Davis, who lives on Governors Avenue in Dover, said the flurry of mosquitoes make going outdoors unpleasant. She said a nephew was outside her home last month and had to take refuge inside because the mosquitoes were biting, even though he had applied repellant.

"They are just awful," she said. "You can't even sit outside. You have to have smokestacks going and DEET from head to toe."

Nine inches of rain fell in June in Dover, where a trap collected 79 mosquitoes in the first few days of the month and 400 a night by mid-month.

In response, some have taken matters into their own hands. Business is up for Andrew Mahoney, co-owner of Mosquito Mob, a family-owned pest control company in Wilmington and Middletown.

The sprays Mahoney uses to treat the shady areas and foliage last between two to three weeks, unless there is a large rain to wash it away. He said most of his business comes from residents hosting parties or large events.

"There are a lot of families that have put a lot of money into their outdoors – a deck or a patio – and what a lot of people are saying is that they spent a lot of money to enjoy the outside and they can't anymore," he said.

Despite all the remedies, people should recognize Delaware's environment is a natural habitat for bugs, Meredith said.

"We are in the top 10 states in the country for percent of wetland cover and wetlands naturally produce mosquitoes," he said. "We do what we can and overall we have been fairly successful compared to historic times."

Contact Jenna Pizzi at jpizzi@delawareonline.com or (302) 324-2837. Follow her on Twitter @JennaPizzi.

PROTECTING AGAINST MOSQUITOES

• Stay inside, particularly during peak mosquito activity at dawn and dusk

• Wear long sleeves and pants

• If skin is exposed, spray with a suitable repellant

• Avoid areas with large numbers of mosquitoes

Visit dnrec.delaware.gov for more details on mosquito spraying schedules statewide.