Another week has come and gone. How fast time flies! This week I was in Mitchell and Listowel doing mosquito trapping. It’s a beautiful drive out there. While I was picking up one of the traps in Listowel, a woman approached me to ask what the trap was. (They do look kind of strange hanging on the tree branches.) I explained to the woman that part of the trap is a container that holds dry ice. This ice sublimates (goes from solid directly to gas) so that carbon dioxide gas is released. The carbon dioxide is what attracts the mosquitoes…and boy does it work. The minute I take a container out and start walking with it, I can hear the annoying buzzing sound in my ear! (Don’t worry…I was wearing my long sleeves and long pants.)
So if you put two and two together you can figure out why mosquitoes are attracted to us: initially they sense the CO2 we breathe out. They follow the trail and then when they get closer they can see us and smell us. Also, they are attracted to dark clothes, so try and wear light colours this summer. The way that insect repellents work is by preventing a mosquito from sensing a host. I would also suggest wearing insect repellent with DEET if you are in the woods for a hike or camping. The alternative would be holding your breath… and that may not end very well!
Before I sign off for the week I wanted to give you a quick update on West Nile virus activity in the province. So far there has been one pool of mosquitoes that tested positive for WNV in Windsor and one positive dead crow found in Sarnia. In Perth County, we have tested four birds, but they were all negative for WNV. Phew!
Have a mosquito free week and until next time remember…clean up and cover up.
Joanna
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