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File photo/The Ottawa Herald
Recent heavy rains in the area have caused an increase in mosquitoes and other insects. In order to prevent the spread of an infection, Midge Ransom, director of the Franklin County Health Department, urges people not to scratch bites.
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Region’s rainy storm season multiplies pesky mosquitoes
By JENALEA MYERS, Herald Staff Writer
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Summer rains have mosquitoes swarming around Franklin County and the Midwest area.
“The mosquito population is pretty high and will continue to go up until September,” Ludek Zurek, an entomology professor at Kansas State University, said, adding that August will be the peak month.
Fortunately, the insects are mostly floodwater mosquitoes, not the kind that usually carry West Nile virus and other diseases.
Zurek said numerous areas throughout Kansas, including the Franklin County area, have had mosquitoes tested, and no viruses or diseases have appeared; however, results were based on a limited number of mosquitoes screened.
Heavy rain followed by high temperatures creates ideal conditions for these bugs, whose eggs hatch in the soil after heavy rains. Zurek said people should get rid of standing water and use pesticides like Bt — a microorganism that produces chemicals toxic to insects — to control mosquitoes near ponds and animal drinking water.
“It’s the best way I know to lower the population,” he said.
If bitten by a mosquito, Midge Ransom, director of the Franklin County Health Department, urges people not to scratch the bite.
“There are all kinds of bacteria on hands and finger nails,” she said. “Scratching can lead to the spread of infection.”
Ransom said prevention is the key and can be done by using insect repellent with DEET.
Sweat and carbon dioxide given off by the skin and from breathing are among the best known mosquito magnets, entomologist Jerry Butler said.
Butler said mosquitoes often target larger people, who tend to give off more carbon dioxide. Alcohol is another lure, so people who have been drinking are going to be more attractive to the bugs.
Alcohol in lotions and perfumes also attracts mosquitoes, as do some cosmetic fragrances including lavender, Butler said. Also, he said evidence suggests that people with very high cholesterol levels often are mosquito magnets because mosquitoes need fats like cholesterol and get them by feeding on others.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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