One of the coldest winters on record has thrown off the mating habits of mosquitoes, which means many residents in St. Charles Parish have been able to venture out of their homes without having to constantly swat at the annoying insects.
But that is probably going to change soon, according to Mosquito Control spokesman Steve Pavlovich.
“We have certainly seen a delayed breeding reaction because of the colder weather, but now that we have had some rain and the wind is blowing the tide in I expect we will see more breeding over the next couple of weeks,” Pavlovich said.
Some areas of the parish, such as Willowdale, Boutte and Mimosa, have seen high numbers of mosquitoes all spring long, Pavlovich said. In fact, the Mimosa area has a higher number of mosquitoes than anywhere else in the parish.
“That’s really interesting because we usually see a larger number of mosquitoes in the Willowdale/Willowridge area,” Pavlovich said. “In Boutte, Mimosa and Willowdale we have sprayed several applications a week because any area bordering the marsh is going to have a high concentration of mosquitoes.”
But aside from those areas, numbers across the parish are low as a whole.
“The entire East Bank has had low numbers of mosquitoes this spring and the Paradis and Des Allemands areas have been low as well,” Pavlovich said. “In the next couple of weeks though that could change.”
That means residents need to start taking extra precautions when venturing outside.
“Even though it is not the peak transmitting season for diseases, people need to be careful anytime they go outside,” Pavlovich said. “They need to wear long sleeves and make sure they empty out any standing water near their homes.”
Other precautions include:
•Avoiding shaded, bushy areas where mosquitoes like to rest.
•Limiting outdoor evening activity, especially at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
•Using an insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus to help reduce exposure to mosquitoes.
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