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A good year for skeeters Mail Tribune photos / Bob Pennell Eugene Papineau and his dog Raven tend one of the ponds containing mosquito larvae-eating fish behind Vector Control in Central Point. The screen in the foreground is a trap for catching the fish, which are provided free to local residents. That means it's important for people to get rid of standing water wherever they can By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT - In years past, Eugene Papineau has been known to poke his head into a hollow tree to see what Mother Nature is cooking up. While the manager of the Jackson County Vector Control District doesn't check out many tree cavities these days, he can tell you what is brewing. "We had quite a bit of fall rain last year," he observed. "Considering that, I think we'll have a lot of (western ) treehole mosquitoes this year." About Vector Control The Jackson County Vector Control District responded to some 1,669 calls last year to control vectors - animals or insects that transmit disease. The majority of these calls were for mosquito problems, although the district staff also responded to everything from flies to rats. In addition to making house calls to combat pests, the district gives away nontoxic bottle traps or fly strips to catch bothersome bugs. It also offers free control for larger pests such as rats. There is no charge for the service. For additional information, contact the district office at 555 Mosquito Lane, Central Point. The telephone number is 779-6460. He was referring to the mosquitoes which, as the name suggests, breed in holes in trees containing water. The pesky bloodsuckers carry canine heartworm, a tiny parasite that can eventually kill the biggest, baddest canine. If that isn't bad enough, Papineau and his staff are keeping an eye on the northern house mosquito suspected as being a vector for West Nile virus. The disease has killed nine people on the East Coast since it was discovered in New York in 1999. "West Nile is working its way west," he warned, adding that the near normal precipitation and relatively mild winter are expected to produce a "good mosquito breeding year." That's why Papineau, who started working for the special district nearly 25 years ago, is encouraging local residents to take steps now to reduce mosquito haunts. "This time of year, the best thing to do is survey around your house and property to look for anything containing water," he said. "Any container, even a little kiddy pool or old tire, can provide habitat for mosquitoes." Empty the container if possible, he suggests. If that isn't feasible, you can always call his office to make an appointment to have the site treated with a short-lived chemical spray. For those who prefer a biological solution, particularly in larger areas such as ponds, mosquito fish - fish which feed on mosquito larvae - are available free at the district office. The district gives out about 20,000 of the tiny fish each year. "Anywhere there is standing water that can breed mosquitoes should be treated," Papineau said. The district is one of eight in the state monitoring mosquito populations for the West Nile virus as part of an Oregon Health Division program. The state received a $90,000 grant last year from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta to launch the project. Although the virus causes no more than a flu-like sickness in most people, it can kill elderly people or those with weakened immune systems, according to the CDC. Mosquitoes caught locally are also tested for St. Louis encephalitis and western equine encephalitis, both of which have been found in the region. The West Nile virus, which originated in Egypt, is carried by wild birds. Mosquitoes can then transmit the virus from birds to humans and other animals. Since 1995, the local district has been testing its five sentinel chicken flocks established around the county for St. Louis and western equine encephalitis strains. A sample of blood taken from one of the flocks tested positive for the western equine strain in 1996. The mosquitoes that are caught are anesthetized, sorted by sex and species and sent to the state's medical laboratory in Portland, where they are tested for the three diseases. The local vector control district also is taking mosquito samples from Josephine, Douglas and Curry counties. Meanwhile, to keep up with mosquito populations, the district staff checks on between 800 and 900 sites within the county each week during the summer months, from pastures to roadside ditches. "We're probably going to have a good crop of mosquitoes," Papineau reiterated. "The reservoirs will likely be full this year. There should be plenty of water." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.