MICHIGAN
Summer humidity and heat could bring an explosive mosquito population, increasing East Lansing's risk for the West Nile virus, city officials say.
"The greater the mosquito population, the higher the concern that more people will get West Nile," said Dave Smith, environmental specialist for East Lansing.
The city of East Lansing is implementing a program to monitor and control a large increase of mosquitoes during the summer months.
East Lansing, along with many areas throughout the state, are at risk because of standing water and retention ponds which is creating mosquito breeding grounds, Smith said.
The city has not had a mosquito control system in place in recent years, but the issue could be crucial this year, Smith said.
"We have not done anything up until the point because mosquitoes were nothing more than a nuisance problem - now it is a human health issue," he said.
Employees in the East Lansing Department of Public Works are identifying mosquito breeding grounds and placing donut-like cakes of larvicide to keep new mosquito populations down.
The cakes, or "dunks," are composed of a natural bacteria found in soil that kills mosquito larvae.
"We are trying to get ahead of the situation because there will most likely be cases of West Nile virus, it's just a question of how many and how severe," public service administrator Angela Mabin said.
At a work session Tuesday, department officials explained the affects of spraying a higher-toxicity insecticide to combat the mosquitoes.
"Targeted spraying would be the last resort," Mabin said.
