Talk of flooding in the city of Kinston has started to subside, along with the abundance of rainfall that has fallen across the area. Even though the sun is out more frequently, the city is focusing on the aftermath of so much precipitation.
Starting Monday, the City of Kinston’s Mosquito Control Program will be spraying for mosquitoes, as the winged bloodsucking pests usually come out in droves after rain.
“In our area, the ground levels up and the propensity for water to pool increase,” Kinston City Manager Tony Sears said. “Mosquitoes breed in standing water. When it was raining, there wasn’t an issue because the water wasn’t still, but eventually it will be.”
A mosquito’s life revolves around water. A female mosquito will lay eggs in water or areas expected to flood. When the eggs hatch, the larva stays in the water for about a week or two before emerging as an adult.
Mosquitoes can do more than just leave annoying bite marks that itch. The insects can carry diseases such as West Nile Virus, malaria and Dengue Fever, and can transmit heartworms to pets.
In years past, there weren’t as many mosquitoes around but because of the recent weather, a rise is projected.
“I would assume with the heat and amount of rain, there would be an increase,” Director of Public Services Rhonda Barwick said. “There’s more standing water this year, so there would be a reason to see more.”
As a result, the Mosquito Control Program will spray daily from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. for mosquitoes. Barwick said the team will work in the early morning so more residents won’t have the spray interfere with daily routines.
“In addition to the spray, they’ll apply larvicide tablets into the pond and stream areas that run stagnant,” Barwick said. “They can cover the city in a week’s time, but won’t spray during the rain because the chemicals will get washed away or the wind because there’s no control where the spray goes. Occasionally, there could be an increase of activity because it stirs the mosquitoes up, but they’ll keep spraying to reduce numbers.”
The spraying will continue until about October by Barwick’s estimate.
“Mosquitoes can’t live under a certain temperature, so when the weather drops to a certain amount of degrees, the numbers drop,” Barwick “The sprayings will continue until the mosquitoes are no longer an issue.
Kinston resident Frances Faulkner approved of the spraying, believing the city truly needs it.
“It’s good for the people who are allergic to them,” Faulkner said. “Really, this is a good time to spray.”
The sprayings will lower the rate of mosquitoes affecting residents of Kinston, but will not completely eliminate them.
“All we can do is hope for the sunny weather to dry up the water and hope cold weather comes fast,” Sears said.
Of course, Kinston resident Tyler Reed also has an alternative to keep herself from being affected by mosquitoes.
“I’ll just stay in, so I don’t get bit,” Reed said.
Junious Smith III can be reached at 252-559-1077 or Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JuniousSmithIII.
Want to help reduce mosquitoes? Here’s how:
Every three days, flush birdbaths, potted plant saucers and other containers that hold water
Keep yard clean and cut
Remove items from yard that hold water and are not needed outside
Keep lawn and gardening equipment indoors
Fix leaky faucets
Keep gutters clean
Change pet water dishes regularly
Chlorinate pools and clean the pool and filters
Add fish to ponds
Source: Kinston Public Services