OAK GROVE, Minn. — It's up, up and away for the team with the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District, ahead of what's expected to be the biggest hatching season in 2 years.
"Probably in the next week or so," said MMCD Field Operations Supervisor, Shawn Partyka.
Partyka spent much of Friday afternoon and evening working with a team in Oak Grove, attacking the larva of floodwater mosquitos, in the wake of recent snowmelt and rain.
"We use helicopters to disperse a granule to help control the mosquito larva before they emerge and start going after people for a blood meal," said Partyka.
Over 600 pounds of granular material is loaded onto the helicopter each trip, then strategically dropped on target areas.
"In Oak Grove alone we have over 2,300 acres," said Partyka. "We only fly over standing water, we don't treat rivers or streams and that's because mosquito larva only can, they can't live in moving water."
He went on to explain, "When the granules hit the water, bacteria disperse into the water column and then when the larva, mosquito larva eat the bacteria and it ends up killing them."
Experts say several factors are contributing to the anticipated influx of mosquitos and potential black flies.
"The past few years we've had drought and so all those egg bands from mosquitos they didn't hit water so they didn't hatch in the past few years, this year we have plenty of water," said Partyka.
Especially in an area considered to be ground zero for the 7 county metro district.
"Yes, Anoka County has a lot of aquatic habitat, they also have a lot of bogs and there's also a lot of other wetlands like swamps and nature reserves," Partyka said.
Experts with mosquito control are reminding people to empty things like tires, trashcans, and birdbaths after this weekend's rain, in order to keep mosquitos at bay.
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