Mosquito stuff

Take care of your Family and yourself, as best you can.

I have the advantage of being so old I can remember when worrying about mosquito delivered diseases was a big deal where I lived.

Even when we lived at Cherry Point, NC (late 40’s timeframe) , the periodic mosquito fogging truck came through the neighborhood, and all the kids, including me (maybe pre-kindergarten), just ran behind it kinda dancing. I still don’t know what I was sucking in, but it was fun.

And during my time at Groton Plantation (1990’s), I note we had dug around 65 miles of drainage ditches in the recent century past (over 23,00 acres and from my GIS work), mostly to drain wetlands that bred mosquitos and ensuing malaria, often now thought of as a third world disease. Later, when we had dams washed out in this Low Country, the government policy (federal and SC state) had changed so it was 100% in favor of wetlands, including restoration. Now 3 to 4% of my Plantation income budget came from the government, so that was a big deal, to me.

And I read before TVA came into Tennessee where I now live, malaria was still a big deal in river Tennessee areas, like a big problem (maybe 80 years ago).

Last, after hurricane Katrina, a lot of mosquitoes got blown up here, mostly along the Mississippi River basin area; and sure enough, even the West Nile Virus disease reports went up big time, including where I live. We had a lot of downed dead birds here as an example of this non-scientific report.

So there are a few things you can do today.

1) Drain/dry out any wetland type things around where you live, including bird baths.

2) Buy some cheap oil and put a little of it into wetland type areas near where you live, like leave an oil sheen on top of the water.

3) Consider drugs. There are preventives for malaria, but still no known cure once one gets it. I, as an example, have taken preventives just so I did not get malaria (like in the Philippines) , and never did. By the way, malaria may not kill you, though it may; but it will sure make you sick, and come back at unpredictable times. If you know someone like this, then they can tell you better than I can. And if you have to take care of someone with malaria, that is not fun.

4) Keep your Family healthy, as best you can. Our best human defense is our own bodies, both preventive, and often even corrective.