There’s trouble in Paradise, Paradise being Alexandria, Virginia. How is Alexandria Paradise, you ask? Well, it must be. Why else would real estate values be so astronomical?
Anyway, there’s trouble in Paradise, and Paradise is taking action. The trouble is, or are, mosquitoes. The action is to get rid of water. The theory is that mosquitoes need puddles of still water to perpetuate the species, and consequently eliminating puddles will eliminate the species, or at least enough of the species to make an evening stroll across the lawn bearable.
So city employees and various volunteers are on the prowl, looking for offending water.
Me, I’m skeptical. How do you eliminate water, except by drought? Oh sure, you can find the odd bit of wetness here and there. Water in a discarded tire can be extracted. (Although emptying an old tire is no easy matter; try it sometime.) A neighbor with a landscaped pond can be harassed.
But what about the thousand and one other gatherings of water? I’m under the impression—and all you amateur naturalists correct me if I’m wrong—that the amount of water it takes to breed mosquitoes is not much. Mere moisture might suffice. How about water cupped in a large leaf? In a depression in a tree stump? In a pile of decaying grass?
Moreover, what about rain gutters? Paradise is blessed with vast numbers of shade trees. Many arch over those astronomically priced homes. How often do we residents of Paradise, including the members of the mosquito patrol, clean our gutters? Maybe twice a year at the most. But those beautiful trees are dropping debris year round. Right now, probably a majority of the houses in Paradise have at least one stopped up gutter, and the artificial ponds thereby created are thriving with mosquito larva.
And don’t even get me started on the consequences of grass watering.
So I don’t have a lot of confidence that Paradise’s assault on mosquitoes will be successful. If you really want to get rid of mosquitoes, think back 30 or so years to the fogging trucks that dispensed poisons throughout residential areas. Of course, the poisons had their downside.
Now excuse me while I go fill my ornamental birdbath.
DSH
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I COULDN'T AGREE MORE! I HAVE TO ARMOR UP AND SPRAY DOWN JUST TO GET MY MAIL (EVEN THO' IT COMES THROUGH THE DOOR). I REMEMBER THE OLD FOGGER TRUCK. EVERYONE RAN FOR THEIR LIVES WHEN THE OLD FOGGER CAME IN THE EVENINGS. OF COURSE ALL WE KIDS RAN BEHIND IT AND I WELCOME IT TO COME BACK TODAY AND DEBUG US. SO WHAT IF I GREW AN EXTRA EAR AND 2 FINGERS GREW FROM MY ELBOW I NEVER HAD A MOSQUITO BITE.
ReplyDeleteI believe that rental property usually has more of a mosquito problem than owner-lived-in property. At least that's the way it is in my neighborhood. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteIf you're interested in running behind a fogger truck, just join the US military and get stationed in Turkey or some other third world country. Of course, the contracted laborers haven't quite grasped the concept of the fogger, so in addition to extraneous appendages, you still have swarms of mosquitos...not to mention the side effects of the various mandatory drugs issued to prevent diseases from the swarms of mosquitos not killed by the fogger trucks...
ReplyDeleteIn MY neighborhood the rental properties are the only ones with fantastic lawns and lovely hedges. THEY do not cultivate "swiss gardens" nor furnish their homes from drive ways and dumpsters. Instead they are immaculate housekeepers with beautifully decorated homes. The homeowners in YOUR neighborhood could take a few lessons from the renters in mine.
ReplyDeleteTo the comment about "go live in a third world country..."
ReplyDeleteI lived in Guam for 2 years. enough said!