Mosquitoes: "Breeding Quickly & More Vigorously"CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The mosquito massacre is underway in the Charlotte area. While some choose to retreat, "We just don't go outside if there are mosquitoes, honestly," others refuse to bow to the bug. "I still have to go (outside), but boy when I get in that shower and put some alcohol all down me, yeah, they're very bad!" You know mosquitoes like standing water, and weeded, woodsy areas. But did you know Charlotte is the 11th buggiest city in the US, according to one study? The ranking is no surprise to Plaza Midwood resident Stefan Huebner. He says, "No, because we're a pretty green town, we got a lot with the trees and the nature in it." OFF!, a popular insect repellent brand, surveyed people across the country about insect issues. The buggiest city is Tampa. In fact, the top 18 are all in the southeast and this season could be the worst in recent history. "We had an unusually mild winter, unusually wet spring and those two facts help accelerate the breeding program for mosquitoes," says Marc Funderburk. He is a yard pest control expert. He suggests eliminating standing water from your yard (things like broken fountains, bird baths or kiddie pools), using "mosquito dunks" (found at the hardware store) to control larvae and avoiding over watering your flowers and lawn. Funderburk says, "Over watering creates an environment that's conducive to breeding of the mosquitoes because it keeps ground cover and grasses wet." All of it sounds good to south Charlotte resident Joanne Bennett who says, "I'ma (sic) try everything!" Funderburk says there are 176 species of mosquitoes in the US. In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control reportedly got more than 600 cases of mosquito-borne viruses. 47 were deadly. |
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