By Debby Woodin

dwoodin@joplinglobe.com

Have you been irritated lately by annoying pests?

Yes, it’s election season and pesky politicians are out in force, but so are mosquitoes. It’s also the time of year when the biting insects can spread a potentially dangerous disease, West Nile virus.

“Beginning now until the first frost is the prime time for West Nile cases,” said Ryan Talken, environmental health coordinator with the Joplin Health Department. No cases have been reported here yet; last year, there were five cases in Joplin. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services in Jefferson City tracks the state cases, and so far reports no cases in Southwest Missouri.

Joplin started fogging insecticide more than a month ago to fight the annual summer outbreak. Maps of the areas where it will fog are published on the city’s Web site at www.joplinmo.org. But, the Health Department doesn’t publish a schedule of when it will fog because it has to release the insecticide when certain weather conditions exist.

“We have to have a morning that is completely still, Talken said. “You can’t fog when there’s wind more than 3 miles per hour because the fog won’t stay in the air,” Talken said. “We also can’t have rain.” The fog has to be sprayed between 4 a.m. and sunrise to catch the most active bugs.

Fogging alone, though, isn’t enough to ward off the bugs.

“We always ask people to patrol their own areas because the mosquitoes most likely to produce West Nile virus are what we call container breeders,” Talken said. “We ask people to check their own properties for anything holding water where the mosquitoes can breed, like buckets, coolers and tires. That’s really where they like to lay their eggs.”

Other measures that can help reduce pest breeding:

n Make sure roof gutters are draining properly. Clogged gutters can pool water where insects can breed.

n Change the water in birdbaths, wading pools and pet dishes at least once a week.

n Keep property adequately graded to drain standing water.

n Keep yards free of trash, piles of leaves and brush.

n Store items such as boats upside down or covered so they don’t hold water.