More mosquitoes? Blame the wind

The supervisor of the Hill County Mosquito District said with weather keeping the fogging trucks off the streets in the past week or more, the number of the pesky and potentially dangerous insects are coming back up.

“They are out in full force again,” Supervisor Terry Turner said this morning. “We haven’t been able to get out with the fogging trucks because of the wind. We’ve got people stationed here every night to go out and the wind is blowing too hard.”

Turner said the wind has to be blowing at fewer than 10 mph before using the truck will have any benefit.

“If it’s moving the trees very much, you aren’t going to see the trucks out,” Turner said.

People can help reduce the number of mosquitoes by making sure no water is standing on their property, emptying gutters and containers and so on, and regularly changing water in fountains, bird baths and pet dishes.

Residents of the district also can get free shakers with pellets that will prevent larvae in standing water from maturing into mosquitoes. Turner said the district has distributed several cases worth this year. The shakers and pellets are available at the district office, at the Hill County Extension Office in the Hill County Courthouse, at Barkus Home Center and at Wild Horse Seeds north of Havre.

Turner said the foggers will be back out as soon as possible.

“As soon as the weather cooperates with us, we’ll get back out, I’ll guarantee you that,” he said. “I can bet the farm on that one.”

Help fight mosquitoes

• Prevent standing water on your property; check rain gutters, buckets, tires, anything that may hold water.

• Regularly change water in fountains, bird baths and pet dishes.