BEND, Ore. — Officials in Central Oregon are targeting mosquito larvae to keep the insect’s population down this summer.
“We really focus on getting them at the aquatic stage,” said Chad Stubblefield, manager of Four Rivers Vector Control District, told The Bulletin.
He explained that his control district is using corncob granules coated with bacteria as larvicide along the upper Deschutes River.
The granules are coated with a bacterial species that the Environmental Protection Agency says is toxic to mosquito larvae, black flies and gnats, but won’t harm humans, water supplies or wildlife.
A helicopter was able to spread the granules across the mosquito havens in just minutes, Stubblefield said. Walking crews, which take longer, also apply the larvicide daily from spring through early fall.
Similar mosquito-control efforts are taking place in Crook County Vector Control District, manager Cliff Kiser said. The “main line of defense is looking for those larva” in standing water and applying larvicide, he said.
Mosquitoes in the area are attracted to flood-irrigated pastures, ponds and swamps. Kiser said he expects a regular season for mosquitoes, but he noted that it got off to a slower start because of cooler temperatures in spring and early summer.
