After Midwest Flood Researchers Prepare To Fight Different Deluge
Missouri-The worst of the flood of the summer of 2008 appears to be over, but as the waters recede, the scientists and officials in the region prepare to fight a different, subtler battle.
With the height of the flood and the amount of land that was swamped, it is thought that the number of mosquitoes, insects that potentially carry West Nile Virus, may as much as quadruple.
Mosquitoes are able to breed in wet, damp places, or in areas where water collects.
After a flood, not only is there a lot of water where mosquitoes can reproduce, but also the flood itself often causes larges areas of crops and vegetation to become soaked.
Insects can lay eggs in the decaying and soggy plants, and this can lead to a huge increase in the amount of insects in a given area.
New tools have been used that may see further, wider use. The use of a specific wetlands bacteria have been used to keep Minneapolis and St. Paul relatively mosquito free since the 1980’s.
The bacteria is sprayed, the mosquitoes eat it, and then they die.
The specific bacteria do not harm other animals, or humans, and it has been fairly effective to cut the number of mosquitoes in a given area way back.