Tuesday
Mar312015
Mosquito Notes from the Quarterly ~ Summer 2003 Edition
Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at 11:00AM Following a mosquito infested summer of 2014, TIRRA and members of the Thetis Island Community started to research and offer ideas for Mosquito Control so that we can enjoy our beautiful Thetis summers. This list of documents, measures, and ideas informs us of what is being done, what could be done in the future, and what we can all do to help in controlling this pest. Any tips or information you want to share, please send to editor@thetisblog.net.
Entries by Editor (7)
Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at 11:00AM Tuesday
Mar312015
An Article from the Quarterly Fall 1995 Edition
Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at 10:57AM (Fall 1995) A Note about Mosquitoes
Many of you will have noticed the large influx of mosquitoes this summer. Some of you will have noticed that these were not our regular pests of dusk dinner parties on the porch, but rather, they were nasty, day-time bloodsuckers which attacked you in the garden, on the beach, or hung around until they could attack you in your own bed.
According to our Mosquito Expert, these dipteran devils were Aedes dorsalis, the salt-marsh mosquito. Although larvae numbers had been low previous to July 22, several factors combined to make the rest of July and most of August very miserable for those outdoors. We had rain for the first time in a long while that weekend, and we had three high tides over ten feet And unfortunately, that weekend, the gate in the culvert under Pilkey Point Road which regulates water flow to the salt-marsh was broken. (It has since been repaired.) This gave us the "mosquito boom" of epic proportions.
The prevailing winds blowing those few days managed to lift the newly hatched flies to most parts of the Island. It was also noted by several people that we did not have as many swallows this year as in others, and they usually do an admirable job of keeping mosquito numbers down. By August, however, we did have a large number of very fat dragon flies patrolling the open spaces, doing their bit to keep us from involuntary blood donations.
Jeannine Caldbeck
