Mosquitoes

WEATHER conditions have unleased mosquitoes bearing the West Nile virus sooner than ever, authorities say. The first virus-infected mosquito of the season was found in Berks County on May 3 — the earliest detection in Pennsylvania since 2000. The state Department of Environmental Protection, which monitors the virus in mosquitoes from May to October, has found 112 positive mosquitoes this year and reports that the numbers have been steadily increasing. Last year, 1,262 mosquitoes and six humans were found virus-positive in 25 of the state's 67 counties.

Some people might think about Christmas in July, but hardly anyone worries about mosquitoes in December. Except the Pennsylvania legislature, that is. Among 165 items approved yesterday by the state budget office for special legislative grants is a $1,500 expenditure for mosquito control at Lake Ariel in Wayne County. The mosquito money is but a tiny chunk of the $32 million this year that will go for so-called legislative initiatives, affectionately called WAMs - for "walking-around money" - parceled out to community groups and such according to lawmakers' wishes.

Florida health officials are maintaining a vigil for new cases of St. Louis encephalitis, while state residents and tourists are altering their lifestyles to hide from mosquitoes that spread the potentially deadly disease. The state Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services has confirmed at least 28 cases of St. Louis encephalitis and listed 10 more likely cases involving the often disabling disease - all in central and south Florida. "Where it goes from here is anybody's guess," department spokesman Ernie Durfee said in Tallahassee.

Question: With all the attention these days to West Nile virus, how safe and effective are citronella candles in dealing with mosquitoes? Answer: Citronella is an oil distilled from the leaves of an Asian grass that's a close cousin of the lemongrass used in Thai cuisine. The word citronella means "lemonlike. " When citronella is used in the usual 3 percent concentration in candles or the 5 percent concentration in incense, the oil burns and gives off a smoke that mosquitoes and other flying insects find rather noxious.

The killer is back, with a vengeance. Abuzz with deadly mosquitoes, New York City has done the unthinkable. Officials chased people out of Central Park this week to spray for the West Nile virus, signaling a new stage in the war on the disease. OK, so that was New York. And that was a New York Philharmonic concert they canceled Monday night - not a performance at the Mann in Fairmount Park. But while the Philadelphia area has yet to be bitten by West Nile, the evidence is mounting that the disease is mushrooming among wildlife in and around New York for the second straight year.

The citrosa is a green, fuzzy, genetically engineered plant, a patent- pending hybrid of waxy Chinese sea grass and an African geranium called Livingston. Word is, mosquitoes hate it. Scientists are skeptical about that, of course, but the gossip alone has been enough to set off a rush on suburban garden stores hither and yon, where the little plants sell for around $13. Sell out, actually. "The hottest plants since sliced bread," boasts Ralph Gaudio, co-owner of G-Boys Garden Center in Marlton, N.J. "It's first thing in the garden business that's really shaken up business for some time.

Bucks County commissioners have set their sights on spring and their arsenal on its virus-bearing mosquitoes. With funding of $286,115, the second-largest mosquito-fighting grant given to counties by the state Department of Environmental Protection this year, the commissioners plan to beef up their attack on the West Nile virus. Last year, Bucks County used about 1,200 pounds of larvacide to treat about 100 acres. The county expects to use twice that amount and cover twice as many acres this year, said Philip J. Smith, coordinator of the county's efforts against the virus.

New Jersey environmental officials yesterday announced a $2.4 million tire-recycling initiative aimed at curbing the spread of the West Nile virus. The state will direct money to each county, based on the number of miles of county roads, to collect and recycle discarded tires. The tires are a prime breeding ground for mosquitoes that spread the virus. "The real issue now is getting the tires away from the people," said Robert Shinn, commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection.

Williamstown residents have the advent of zip codes to thank that their community no longer is named for the mosquitoes that infest Monroe Township's marshes. "The Year of the Change" festivities on Saturday will recall the date 150 years ago when the 24-mile land mass dubbed Squankum or "the Place of the Evil Gods" by its first settlers, the Leni-Lenape, was renamed Williamstown. The new name didn't chase the mosquitoes away, but it did make way for a local post office. South Jersey's Squankum had been denied a zip code because a municipality in Middlesex County was already named after the evil gods, according to Joseph Gionti, vice president of the Monroe Township Historical Society.

Four dead crows from northern New Jersey tested positive for a mosquito-borne virus blamed for the recent deaths of at least four New Yorkers, New Jersey officials said yesterday. No New Jersey residents have been found to have the virus, which can cause encephalitis in the elderly or the very young. State officials are continuing to urge that county officials spray for mosquitoes. The crows came from Bergen, Essex, Middlesex and Union Counties. A fifth dead crow, from Mercer County, did not have the virus, according to a news release from the state Department of Health and Senior Services.

Camden County officials will take the war on the West Nile virus to the enemy Wednesday evening. As part of efforts to combat the mosquito-borne illness, the Camden County Mosquito Commission will spray pesticides at numerous locations across the county. Three county cases are among at least 22 across the state this year. In Pennsylvania, 20 residents have tested positive for the virus. Camden County workers have been regularly checking several thousand suspected mosquito breeding sites across the county and are now spraying.

Question: With all the attention these days to West Nile virus, how safe and effective are citronella candles in dealing with mosquitoes? Answer: Citronella is an oil distilled from the leaves of an Asian grass that's a close cousin of the lemongrass used in Thai cuisine. The word citronella means "lemonlike. " When citronella is used in the usual 3 percent concentration in candles or the 5 percent concentration in incense, the oil burns and gives off a smoke that mosquitoes and other flying insects find rather noxious.

Plans to spray for mosquitos in Bensalem's Central Park has prompted officials to cancel the showing of a movie scheduled for Tuesday night at the TD Bank Amphitheater. The township says the spraying will not affect the Kenny Vance and the Planotones concert set for Wednesday. Tangled , the movie originally scheduled for Tuesday, will now be shown on Thursday. The township said the Bucks County Board of Health notified it of the planned spraying today.

DALLAS - The last time Dallas used aerial spraying to curb the mosquito population, Lyndon B. Johnson was in the White House, Mission Control in Houston was launching Gemini missions, and encephalitis was blamed for more than a dozen deaths. But for the first time in more than 45 years, the city and county planned Thursday to resume dropping insecticide from the air to combat the nation's worst outbreak of West Nile virus, which has killed 10 people and caused at least 200 others to fall ill. "I cannot have any more deaths on my conscience because we did not take action," Mayor Mike Rawlings said.

WEATHER conditions have unleased mosquitoes bearing the West Nile virus sooner than ever, authorities say. The first virus-infected mosquito of the season was found in Berks County on May 3 — the earliest detection in Pennsylvania since 2000. The state Department of Environmental Protection, which monitors the virus in mosquitoes from May to October, has found 112 positive mosquitoes this year and reports that the numbers have been steadily increasing. Last year, 1,262 mosquitoes and six humans were found virus-positive in 25 of the state's 67 counties.

The mosquito report from the Pine Barrens' Wading River, set dead center in the largest stretch of wilderness between Boston and Washington, is a happy "not as bad as last year. " "People always come in to ask how the bugs are," said Diana Chew of Mick's Canoe & Kayak Rental in Chatsworth. "The mosquitoes haven't been too bad this year. It's kind of odd, because it's when it's hot and humid they tend to be bad. " But that could soon change. With record rainfalls in the last month and rivers that overflowed their banks, those tasked with keeping the bloodsucking Diptera culicidae at bay are eyeing their bug repellent.

The mosquito report from the Pine Barrens' Wading River, set dead center in the largest stretch of wilderness between Boston and Washington, is a happy "not as bad as last year. " "People always come in to ask how the bugs are," said Diana Chew of Mick's Canoe & Kayak Rental in Chatsworth. "The mosquitoes haven't been too bad this year. It's kind of odd, because it's when it's hot and humid they tend to be bad. " But that could soon change. With record rainfalls in the last month and rivers that overflowed their banks, those tasked with keeping the bloodsucking Diptera culicidae at bay are eyeing their bug repellent.

Officials in Delaware and Montgomery Counties on Friday announced plans for mosquito-control spraying next week in four municipalities. Between 8 and 10 p.m. Tuesday, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will spray in Upper Chichester and Lower Chichester Townships in Delaware County. The rain date is Wednesday. In Montgomery County, spraying is set for 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. Wednesday for portions of Lower Moreland and Upper Moreland Townships. The rain date is Thursday.

When Eileen Harris moved to her Wyncote home three years ago, the first summer cookout was a painful surprise. "We realized pretty soon into it that we had a bad mosquito problem. In the heat of the season, we basically can't go out after dusk. It gets wicked out there. " For those who attract the biting bloodsuckers, summertime in the Philadelphia region is a war of epic proportions, pitting human vs. nature. And for now, it seems, the humans are losing. "If there's one mosquito in the house, it will find me," says Peicha Chang, resident of East Falls and owner of Falls Flowers.

The city's Department of Health plans to spray parts of a Southwest Philadelphia neighborhood Tuesday evening with a mosquito-control solution. The city has found adult mosquitoes in the area that could carry the West Nile virus. The virus can cause an infection that leads to swelling of the brain. The area is near the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, south of 84th Street and bordered by Lindbergh Boulevard and Bartram Avenue. At dusk, a truck-mounted sprayer will distribute Anvil 10-10, a synthetic pyrethroid.