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Show MOSQUITO FIGHT ON Counfly predicvs unpleasani year There is a battle going on here in Uintah Uin-tah County. It began last February as the Uintah County Mosquito Abatement began spraying mosquito larvae, but they have been preparing for the "enemy" all winter. "This year is not going to be a pleasant plea-sant year," Steven Romney, director of the Uintah County Mosquito Abatement, Abate-ment, predicted about this year's potential poten-tial for mosquitos. Because of more spring flooding expected ex-pected than in many years past, the potential for mosquitos is great, Romney said. Since the easiest time to control mosquitos mos-quitos is while they are still in the water in the larval stage, abatement personnel person-nel were out spraying while the water was still frozen to kill the first mosquitos mos-quitos forming under the ice. "If we didn't know the enemy, his habitat, his characteristics, and tendencies, we would be dead," Romney said. The most common species of mosquito mos-quito in Uintah County, Aedes dorsalis, has the capacity to lay 150 football-shaped football-shaped eggs within three days of having stolen the blood essential for reproduction. reproduc-tion. Since Aedes dorsalis is a flood-water mosquito, Romney advises irrigators to clear their lands of stagnent water within four days. "Flood irrigation is one of our biggest problems," Romney said. A potential problem related to mosquito mos-quito control is equane encephalitis, "sleeping sickness" or "brain fever" which mainly effects horses. "This year is earmarked as a potential poten-tial for disease," Romney said. To immunize horses, a two-dose vaccination vac-cination is required and a yearly booster. According to Dr. Ed Oscarson, veterinarian, 20 to 25 percent of the encephalitis cases in Uintah County are fatal. Oscarson said he was aware of only one case of "sleeping sickness" last year. Encephalitis virsus is carried by the mosquito from birds especially song birds, the virus forms in its saliva glands, then the mosquito bites an animal. From June to September, female mosquitos Culex tarsalis, known carriers car-riers of encephalitis, are captured by the Uintah Mosquito Abatement and are sent to the State Department of Health to verify by mouse innoculation if the virus is present. Romney advises horse owners to check with their veterinarian especially especial-ly in protecting new colts. Romney said he didn't know if mosquitos mos-quitos would be a problem to the increased in-creased activity in the Bonanza area, but he said the potential is there in that the construction is only 10 miles from Green River and mosquitos are known to fly 20 miles from where they are hatched. hat-ched. Mosquito control which Romney says is "a well defined science," is a nightmare in the Vernal area because of the many areas of stagnent water, Romney said pointing to aerial maps. During the slower winter months, hours are spent mapping all the areas of stagnent water. Also during the winter months, the two full-time employees at the abatement catch up on their paper work. "We're asked hundred of time, 'What do you do during the winter?'" Romney said. "But our job is year-round." During the warmer months the abatement abate-ment staff expands to 10 people, usually employing school teachers part-time. "AH of our staff is licensed and trained train-ed to apply pesticides," Romney said. Populated areas are hand sprayed with a mild pesticide which bio-degrades bio-degrades rapidly. Aerial spraying is used us-ed to control mosquitos in large bodies of water and in unpopulated areas. Romney said, not wanting to be confused confus-ed with crop dusters. Beginning this year, the abatement will begin a concentrated effort to clear swamp areas which pose a mosquito problem. Persons having problems with stagnent stag-nent water or with mosquitos are invited in-vited to call the Mosquito Abatement for help, Romney said. "Now is a freightening time because we don't know what's going to happen," hap-pen," Romney concluded. 5 "' -it M mm W KfiiiwJ, 1 v im & tfe iv: fj l- i ' v- tj 'r ' 1 , ?! " . i" . t. lli ' tv - . Sr.", ,Vru .A As - '4'v ' ',i;!'',r:' ' $iViY .v .V. ' ONE OF THE most "cold blooded" mosquito prime mosquito habitat'a cattail swamp, killers Robert Reay takes larvae samples from |