MAHONING TWP. — Greg Molter has another tool to use in his fight against mosquitoes that may be carrying West Nile Virus.
A Rhino vehicle was delivered earlier this month for him to travel to locations which can’t be accessed by his pickup truck.
“I will be able to go different places that need to be treated,” said Molter, the Montour County vector management director.
He will also be able to “take the product I need to the spot to do the treatment and won’t have to go back to reload. I will be able to do it more effectively.”
The Rhino, being lighter than his pickup truck, won’t tear up a property as much, he said.
Montour County bought the vehicle as a multi-purpose vehicles to also be used by the sheriff’s office for search and rescue calls or for other emergencies.
Molter will use the vehicle to spray water soluble larvaecide packets in stormwater basins in Danville today. The packets last for about 30 days.
Since May 1, Molter has been setting traps for mosquitoes at about 108 locations in the county. He chose those areas “since mosquitoes seem to like those areas the past nine years.”
The traps are near where elderly people live, at parks, boat ramps and other sites.
Last year, there were four positive pools for West Nile Virus found in the county. One crow also tested positive for the virus, that historically has killed about 3 percent of infected people and especially senior citizens in the U.S.
Mosquitoes get the virus when they bite or take a blood meal from an infected bird. Mosquitoes transmit the virus to people and animals when taking a blood meal.
Molter has been sending an average of 15 samples a week from his traps for testing in Harrisburg. So far, no positive results have been received this season.
This year, the state has allocated $49,000 for the county program including his salary, equipment and pesticides.
He usually sets five to eight traps a night, using two types of traps with one being a light trap resembling a pagoda with a carbon dioxide light to catch mosquitoes looking for a blood meal and a gravid trap that looks like a tool box sitting on an oil pan. The oil pan contains stagnant, organic water to attract mosquitoes wanting to lay eggs.
If people come upon traps, he said, they should leave them alone.
He expects to spray against the insects soon. The larvaecide he sprays doesn’t affect other organisms in water, he said.
Because he uses a small quantity of spray, in most cases they don’t kill any flying insects except mosquitoes, he said.
He notifies people at least 48 hours before spraying and sprays after dusk.
“The spraying doesn’t affect people or pets,” he said.
He sends test samples to the state Department of Environmental Protection lab through the end of October or later depending upon weather. Some samples are sent on to the state Health Department laboratory.
He offered tips on ways to reduce the number of mosquitoes around a home and neighborhood:
Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or similar water holding containers.
Pay special attention to discarded tires with a used tire the most important domestic mosquito producer in the U.S.
Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers left outdoors.
Clean clogged roof gutters on an annual basis particularly if leaves from surrounding trees plug up the drains.
Turn over plastic wading pools when not in use.
Turn over wheelbarrows and do not allow water to stagnate in birdbaths.
Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish. Water gardens can become major mosquito producers if allowed to stagnate. Clean and chlorinate swimming pools that are not being used. Be aware mosquitoes can breed in water that collects on swimming pool covers.
E-mail comments to kblackledge@thedanvillenews.com.
News
Montour County acquires another weapon in mosquito battle
- News
-
-
Lewisburg schools face cuts in personnel, programs
Superintendent Mark DiRocco told the Lewisburg school board Thursday night that a proposed block grant system of school budget funding will run the district short of cash that will have to be made up through personnel and program cuts.
-
Mom: Keller's response left her cold
Like many people, Elise Nicol is concerned about Marcellus Shale and the industry's effects on Pennsylvania's environment. The Lewisburg mother of two cares about it enough that she sent an email to state Rep. Fred Keller, R-85 of Kreamer, asking him to oppose House Bill 1950, which passed the General Assembly on Wednesday.
-
Point Township authority concerned by sewer plant violations
Point Township Sewer Authority members Thursday night expressed concerns about a Feb. 3 letter sent to the Northumberland Sewer Authority by the state's Department of Environmental Protection saying that the borough authority has violated the Clean Streams Act.
-
Persing truck fee idea stalls
While Pennsylvania has passed legislation allowing communities to collect impact fees in 35 counties, Northumberland County is not one of them, and business leaders and lawmakers do not think Sunbury Mayor David Persing's plan to try to do his own version of an impact fee will pass muster.
-
Barber draws a crowd
The talk can be spirited at times, ranging from hunting to sports to home repairs. "You hear all kinds of stories," Gene Koehler, of Riverside, said Thursday as he waited for a haircut at The Masters barbershop, 209 Mill St.
-
State board approves table games at Valley Forge casino
VALLEY FORGE — A casino resort scheduled to open this spring in the Philadelphia suburb of Valley Forge has been approved for table games.
-
Doctors telling more adults: Get out and exercise
ATLANTA — A new study shows more and more U.S. adults are being told by their doctor to get off their duffs and exercise. A government survey found nearly 33 percent of adults who saw a doctor in the previous year said they were told to exercise. That was up from about 23 percent in 2000.
-
Former Northumberland County judge and three others die in Florida crash
EVERGLADES CITY, Fla. -- A former Northumberland County judge was one of four people killed Wednesday afternoon when their car collided with a van at an intersection, according to the Naples News. The victims were identified as James J. Rosini, 66, William J. Rosini, 68, Patricia C. Rosini, 65, all of Coal Township, Pa., and Deborah A. Korbich, 59, of Elysburg, Pa.
-
Warden demotes four bosses
SUNBURY -- Northumberland County Prison Warden Roy Johnson was able to trim about $135,000 in expenses by demoting four supervisors. He said Wednesday that he found a way to cut costs without laying off any staff. "I cut out 120 hours of supervisors' pay each week, but I need to fill the correction officer positions," Johnson said.
-
DJ pumps up audience
Every Tuesday evening, Richard Grogg can be found spinning tunes at possibly the most well-attended dance in Snyder County. A resident at the Selinsgrove Center since 1988, the 57-year-old said the thing he likes most about selecting and playing music is "making people happy." "Some people come up and ask for requests," he said.
-
Agency closes adult center
PENNS CREEK -- Union and Snyder County caregivers have had to look farther and wider for another program that can offer respite because the Agency on Aging can no longer afford to provide the service. The adult daily living center at the Penns Creek Adult Resource Center was a helpful program each week to about eight adults from the area dealing with Alzheimer's and dementia. But it closed Dec. 30.
-
New Berlin pushes to acquire school
NEW BERLIN -- The Borough Council sold the property where the New Berlin Elementary School is to the precursor of the Mifflinburg Area School District for $1 back in 1950. It was deeded to the district for construction of a school.
- More News Headlines
-
Lewisburg schools face cuts in personnel, programs
