In the first week of June, Rhode Island will unleash a massive human effort aimed at preventing a passel of tiny, wormlike creatures from growing up.
The minuscule targets are water-dwelling larvae destined to transform into buzzing, biting — and possibly disease-bearing — mosquitoes. By scattering $100,000 worth of chemical pellets and briquets in 77,000 catch basins statewide, officials hope to make sure the baby mosquitoes stay young and harmless until they die.
Yesterday, the state Department of Environmental Management held the last of five training sessions on controlling mosquitoes on government-owned land, attended by more than 40 representatives of federal, state and municipal agencies.
Although mosquito abatement is nothing new to Rhode Island, this year's effort has taken on a new dimension with the arrival of a mosquito-borne virus — the West Nile virus. It was first detected in greater New York last summer, where it sickened 61 people, killing 7 of them.
Since then, the West Nile virus has been found in animals as nearby as Connecticut and Long Island. Scientists believe the virus survived the winter and is likely to spread throughout the Northeast in migrating birds this spring. Mosquitoes that bite the infected birds can spread the virus to people, horses and other birds.
Until now, Rhode Island's mosquito-fighting efforts have focused on wooded and marshy areas frequented by the types of mosquitoes that carry the deadly Eastern equine encephalitis.
But the West Nile virus favors a city-loving mosquito that breeds in the stagnant pools of rainwater in catch basins, forgotten buckets and discarded tires. For the first time, places such as Providence and Pawtucket — not just Westerly and Tiverton — have to worry about mosquitoes.
All 39 cities and towns have sent representatives to the DEM training sessions, said Ken Ayars, chief of the DEM's division of agriculture, and Ayars said all seem committed to doing what they can to clean up mosquito-breeding puddles and to distribute larvicide in catch basins. The larvicide is considered environmentally safe because it only affects mosquito larvae, and even then, it merely arrests their development rather than directly killing them.
"We all are putting our best foot forward," Ayars said. "Nobody's really griping. They are doing their best to participate."
The larvae will start hatching around Memorial Day, and the goal is to keep as many as possible from becoming adult mosquitoes so there will be no need to spray pesticides.
"Spraying is the last resort," Ayars said. "Broad-based, widespread spraying is what we're trying to avoid."
Next week, government officials can go to the DEM's Pawtucket office to pick up their allotment of larvicide, which needs to be distributed once every 30 days. The DEM is advising them to start using it in the first week of June.
With the training over, the DEM will turn its attention to mosquito trapping and testing, in a summer-long, statewide effort to track the virus. Meanwhile, the state Department of Health has undertaken a public education campaign.
The West Nile virus causes inflammation of the brain, or encephalitis. Symptoms begin 3 to 15 days after a bite from an infected mosquito and include fever, headache, nausea, rash, stiff neck, muscle weakness and disorientation. It is fatal in 3 percent to 15 percent of cases, usually in the elderly or those with weakened immune systems. There is no vaccine.
Horses and birds bitten by infected mosquitoes can also become sick and die from the West Nile virus.
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What you can do
Mosquitoes breed in stagnant, standing water. Clear yard of anything where water collects, such as buckets, old tires and swimming pool covers.
Change water in birdbaths at least twice a week.
Keep gutters clean so rainwater can drain.
Fix holes in your screens and make sure they fit tightly against their frames.
When outside, wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants, especially at dawn, before dusk, and into the evening.
Limit children's outdoor play at sundown.
Use insect repellents containing no more than 30 percent DEET, but not on infants. For infants, use protective netting on playpens and carriages.
