As insects sting, complaints pile up

Flathead County tries to confront onslaught of mosquitoes

Locusts, frogs, boils and … mosquitoes?

The swarms of buzzing blood-suckers may not have reached biblical proportions, but Flathead County is being overrun by the pesky insects, making outdoor activities in many places uncomfortable or impossible.

The county's mosquito control coordinator, Bruce Gunderson, has mapped 56 areas in the Flathead that qualify as full-blown infestation sites.

Addressing the Mosquito Board on Wednesday, Gunderson said that an infestation means being able to stand in one spot and count more than 100 mosquitoes. Another 52 sites showed counts between 50 and 100 mosquitoes.

After a long, cool spring with elevated moisture levels and increased snowpack, warm June weather created a massive hatch.

"There are millions of larvae out there," Gunderson said. "I haven't seen anything like that before."

In one small, muddy puddle by the side of a road, Gunderson said the water was so packed with larvae that it looked like jelly.

In a few short weeks, the county has fielded more than 179 calls complaining about the mosquito problem. One Monday, Gunderson said, he started the day listening to 39 messages on his phone.

There obviously is a problem, but the solution is not simple.

Flathead County exerts considerable effort to kill mosquito larvae at hatch sites, but targeting the adult population with widespread spraying becomes much more expensive - and controversial.

Chemical treatment to kill mosquitoes beginning their life cycle in water is fairly benign, but products that attack the adult insects can lead to problems in people.

Public Health Officer Joe Russell said that in the future, the county must look at an integrated program that includes controlling adult mosquito populations.

"I'm concerned about telling people to go spray on their own," Russell said. "It's dangerous if they don't know what they are doing."

Oftentimes, a homeowner using a fogging machine won't dilute the chemicals properly, and winds can blow the chemicals to neighboring property.

"I've heard horror stories about what people are putting out there," Gunderson said.

But board members Ann Waltz and County Commissioner Joe Brenneman said a coordinated education campaign would empower citizens to address the issues, especially since the county doesn't have the funding to spray everywhere.

"When we presented this mosquito levy to the public, the information I presented was that it would determine the risk of disease and would be used for larvicide," Brenneman said. "To make the switch to doing adulticide is a change I'm uncomfortable with."

Mosquitoes are a major problem, too, for Cascade County, which has a massive budget - more than $1 million - to combat the insects. However, significant efforts around Great Falls, including aerial spraying from six planes, has made just a small dent in the mosquito population.

"This is the worst they've seen in 15 years," Gunderson said. "Even with adulticide they aren't getting a handle on it."

Flathead County, by comparison, has a budget of $63,000 for mosquito control.

These days, an overabundance of mosquitoes generally leads to a discussion about the West Nile virus. The virus generally causes fever, headache, chills and weakness but can be dangerous.

The county began trapping mosquitoes to test for West Nile last week, but Russell said the chances of a virus outbreak are low at this point.

If a disease outbreak did occur, Brenneman said the county would have to allocate emergency money to combat the problem.

The Mosquito Board will hold its next meeting July 11 at 8:30 a.m. at the Earl Bennett Building in Kalispell. The meeting is open to the public.

Reporter Michael Richeson may be reached at 758-4459 or by e-mail at mricheson@dailyinterlake.com