Newspaper Page Text
Watch out for
mosquito baby
The Lee County Ledger, Wednesday, July 9, 2008, Page 9A
boom
Towering Pines Apartments
will be having Open House on
Saturday, July 19th from
10:00 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Refreshments available.
Come see the apartments
Protect yourself and your family from mosquitos this summer
that Towering Pines has to offer.
2125 B Beachview Drive
Special to the Ledger
By April Sorrow
University of Georgia
Georgia’s ongoing drought
could produce a mosquito
baby boom, says an expert
with the University of Geor
gia. But homeowners can
protect themselves and their
families.
Mosquito eggs lie dormant
until immersed in water,
which signals them to hatch,
said Nancy Hinkle, an
entomologist with the UGA
College of Agricultural and
Environmental Sciences.
Georgia hasn’t had enough
rain to flood some habitats in
years. Eggs from years gone
by are waiting to get soaked
and hatch.
Average homeowners can’t
do much to control mosquito
breeding in wild areas, but
they can limit the popula
tion explosions around their
homes. The best way to
control mosquitoes, she said,
is to get rid of places where
they breed.
It is crucial, she said, to
empty containers of water
filled by rain. They are
prime breeding grounds.
“We all have rain buckets
and are trying to capture and
use every drop of water,’’ she
said. “We are creating situa
tions for breeding.”
Controlling breeding sites
Hinkle suggests walk
ing around the yard twice
a week and emptying any
collected water. In Georgia’s
heat, adult mosquitoes can
emerge in three days.
Many over-the-counter
products kill mosquito lar
vae but are safe for animals
and plants. Standing water
can be treated with larvicide
and still be safely used in
gardening.
Some products on the
market are:
* Agnique, which has an
active ingredient that forms
a film on the water’s surface,
smothering mosquito larvae.
It can be purchased from
Adapco by calling 1-800-
367-0659.
* Altosid 30-Day Briquets,
available online, and Zodiac
Preventative Mosquito Con
trol, sold in pet stores. They
have methoprene, an insect
growth regulator.
* Bactimos Briquets, Mos
quito Dunks and Mosquito
Bits, which contain Bti, a
bacterium specific to mos
quitoes.
Another biological control
option is to stock standing
water with gambusia, also
known as mosquito fish. You
can stock lily pools, ponds,
ditches and watering troughs
with these tiny fish. Order
them online.
“These small minnows
feed on mosquito larvae and
reproduce, so they maintain
themselves and provide on
going suppression,” Hinkle
said.
For severe mosquito
infestations, consider hiring
a professional pest-control
company with expertise in
mosquito control.
For personal protection
Mosquitoes smell carbon
dioxide and lactic acid, a
major component in sweat.
They use these scents to
locate their food - blood.
Repellents form a haze
around your body that con
fuses the insect before you
can be bitten.
“Repellents have to be
volatile to work, but because
they are volatile you have to
re-apply them,” she said.
Herbal repellents contain
ing geraniol and picaridin
are natural choices but must
be re-applied after a few
hours. Repellents containing
DEET last longer.
When applying repellent,
Hinkle said to always follow
instructions on the bottle
Norman
Hoover
Leesburg District ★ Commission Seat
“5)ecMtoni> with Ijuu in JUincL”
As your commissioner:
• I will listen to the people
• I will use the taxpayers
money wisely
• I will control spending
• I will keep
property taxes down
VOTE July 15th
Republican Primary
JVj). SWojtua&a jutt
“SXeci&AatM, with
ifou in Mind”
Phone: (229) 485-7275 Email: gotapak4u@aol.com
Paid for by the candidate
and never spray a child’s
face or hands.
“Wear mosquito repellent
and treat clothing with a
product containing perme-
thrin,” Hinkle said.
Clothing can be purchased
that has been impregnated
with permethrin. Clothing
equipped with insect-shield
repels mosquitoes, ticks,
fleas, ants, flies, chiggers
and no-see-ums. The repel
lent will last through dozens
of washings. Hinkle sug
gests wearing light-colored
clothing and limiting time
outdoors at dawn and dusk.
Asian tiger mosquitoes,
though, bite all day long.
“This species breeds only
in container pots so you can
control this one,” Hinkle
said.
Be skeptical about what
you buy to fight mosquitoes.
Products aren’t always what
they claim to be. Mosquito
plants, for example, don’t
repel mosquitoes. Garlic,
herbal bracelets or ultra
sonic devices don’t either,
she said.
(April Sorrow is a news
editor with the University of
Georgia College of Agri
cultural and Environmental
Sciences.)
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Let us set the
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No Intentions Of Abolishing
The Drug Unit
As sheriff, I have no intentions of abolish
ing the Drug Unit. I pledge to you the
citizens of Lee County, that I will empha
size drug enforcement. I will work with
the county commission in securing needed
equipment to provide the drug unit with
updated equipment that is needed so that
these dedicated officers can arrest the
drug dealers and effectively remove the
damaging drugs from our streets.
My Intentions Are To Work
With The Current Staff
As sheriff, my intentions are to work with
the current staff of the sheriff’s office to
provide law enforcement for all the
citizens of Lee County. My intentions are
to meet with each employee of the sheriff’s
office and determine what role each
employee will serve during my
administration as your sheriff.
IT'S TIME FOR A CHANGE
Vote July 15th, together we can achieve real
change for Lee County.
-
REGGIE
RACHALS
~ \
Candidate for Sheriff
5 S'
“DEDICATED TO SERVING
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Paid for by the candidate