Drought conditions in Colorado have improved in the last year, but the downside is that improved rainfall totals and greener fields means perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.ìThere was a definite uptick in mosquito activity because of the amount of moisture we had this year,î said Lee Griffen, environmental health program manager for El Paso County Public Health. ìStagnant ponds are a little more prevalent.îEl Paso County and the city of Colorado Springs do not have a monitoring or spraying program, said Rob Kozar, operations manager for Colorado Mosquito Control, which provides mosquito control for cities on the Front Range. ìThere is zero mosquito control in the Springs,î Kosar said. ìSo, there is a big difference in what people are reporting around the Springs compared to the rest of the state; and, with no monitoring, we have no data on the situation.î CMC contracts with other cities to place and monitor traps in communities. If more than a certain number of mosquitoes are found in a trap, the company uses fogging trucks to spray the area for both larvae and adult mosquitoes.El Paso County Public Health relies on individual reporting of infestations and complaints about breeding on properties, Griffen said. ìWe are taking complaints when people are bitten significantly to see if the breeding is on public or private property,î Griffen said. ìIf itís on private property, we help educate the property owner. But we donít do spraying for adults at all, but rather go after the larvae.îDespite the annoying buzz, allergic reactions to bites and ruined evening barbecues; the influx of mosquitoes did not result in an increase in West Nile Virus cases statewide. ìThere have only been 12 cases of West Nile in the entire state,î Kozar said ìThatís very low compared to last year, which was one of the worst years ever for Colorado for West Nile.îSt. Francis Medical Center on East Woodmen Road near Falcon has not had any admissions this year for West Nile, said Chris Valentine, director of marketing and communications. The hospital works closely with El Paso County Public Health to coordinate education in the community.The apparent contradiction between the increased number of mosquitoes and lower disease rates is because different breeds of mosquitoes thrive in different conditions ó and cause different issues. Mosquitoes associated with flood waters and heavy rains are not the same kind of mosquitoes associated with disease, Kozar said. The Culex Tarsalis mosquito that carries the West Nile Virus in Colorado prefers long-term standing water rich in organic matter. However, any mosquito that feeds on humans can cause annoying side effects.This yearís alternating rain and warm temperatures during the summer monsoon season are perfect for breeding mosquitoes. The cyclical nature of Colorado weather during the monsoon season and short breeding times result in periodic waves of new mosquitoes. ìTheyíre always present and always will be present, but it depends on that monsoon moisture,î Griffen said. ìWe look for a week of monsoon followed by a week of heat. It only takes two to three days to go from egg to wing.îSeptember is considered the last month of mosquito season in Colorado because cooler temperatures change feeding and breeding habits. ìAs you get more cold fronts in autumn, youíll see a lot fewer mosquitoes,î Kozar said. ìCooling patterns can reduce their numbers within a matter of weeks. As the available water cools down, the development cycle slows down.îWhile some mosquito species can survive through winter, they will stop biting humans in September. ìAt that point they go searching for nectar as their meal instead of blood,î Griffen said. ìThey change their diet at a time called diapause,î which is the time of year when the females that bite are no longer seeking the proteins in blood to help with reproduction, Kozar said.ìI donít want to tell people not to wear personal protection as we get into autumn, but it will decline,î Kozar said. To remind people how to avoid mosquito bites and the diseases they can carry, El Paso County Public Health has been advertising the ìFour Dísî since 2002, Griffen said. The recommendations include draining property, dressing appropriately to keep covered, avoiding outside activity during dusk or dawn and using DEET products.Homeowners can help the overall mosquito situation by clearing clogged gutters and draining or turning over bird baths and childrenís toys to make sure residents are not breeding them in their own yard, Kozar said.Griffen said residents can keep up to date with mosquito-borne illness issues and other environmental health topics at http://elpasocountyhealth.org.
