Control skeeters naturally

Control skeeters naturally

Pam Youngquist
St. Augustine
Publication Date: 07/10/05
Editor: Before purchasing robot helicopters, the Anastasia Mosquito Control District of St. Johns County should consider the possibility of using a natural, non-toxic, yet very effective means of mosquito control. Not only are these helicopters expensive to purchase, but they also need upkeep and fuel added to the expense of the toxic spray. Over time, mosquitoes can mutate to become accustomed to the toxic spray, necessitating either a higher intensity of the toxins or the development of alternate materials.Spraying with toxins not only kills mosquitoes, but carries a heavy burden of collateral damage, killing beneficial insects such as bees and lady bugs.Spraying toxins over our wetlands -- nurseries for much of our seafood -- would make serious inroads into the production of our seafood. Birds and other wildlife would also be affected. And, our ground water is already stressed with the drainage of fertilizers and toxins from golf courses and our gardens; we do not need the peril of additional poisoning of our drinking water. The University of Florida has experimented over more than a decade with bats. They built a bat house on campus in 1991, and have found that a bevy of bats can consume thousands of mosquitoes overnight. In fact, the evening flights of the bats have become a spectator sport, attracting over 100 spectators of an evening.We have green spaces throughout St. Johns County that could be used to accommodate bat houses, so that these bats could do their valuable work throughout the county. Further information on bats and bat houses can be found at the Bat Conservation International Web Site: www.batcon.org . University of Florida's bat expert, Ken Glover, can be reached at (352) 392-1904 or by e-mail kglover@ehs.ufl.edu.
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