CABL Forum - A mosquito invasion

A mosquito invasion has provided added misery for southeast Texans digging out from Hurricane Rita.

Mosquitoes are nearly a year-round nuisance on the upper Texas Gulf Coast. But the storm surge from the recent hurricane has triggered an onslaught of insects. The problem is such that local officials asked the U.S. Air Force to carpet-bomb the mosquitoes.

George Maraz, 56, of Cleveland, Ohio, is one of several thousand electric linemen in Beaumont to restore power after the storm.

"If you don't use mosquito spray on your hands, they know exactly where to bite you and go immediately for your index fingers," Mr. Maraz said.

Mr. Maraz and his 35 crew members purchased $1,700 worth of mosquito repellent in Ohio before heading south.

The good news is that the mosquitoes from the infestation are not the species that usually carry West Nile virus and other diseases.

"The ones coming in by the millions are strictly blood-sucking annoyers of the worst kind," said Dr. Jim Olson, a Texas A&M University entomology professor.

Lee Chastant, director of the Jefferson County Mosquito Control District, declared war on mosquitoes long before Rita. His arsenal includes spray trucks and three aircraft, which fly sorties over the 950 square miles of the county.

"The dosage is calculated to kill any mosquito it hits, but it does not have a residual effect," Mr. Chastant said.

Two C-130 cargo planes from the 910th Airlift Wing in Youngstown, Ohio, began mosquito missions in Orange and Jefferson counties last week.

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A mosquito invasion