NEWBURYPORT — Mosquitoes seem to follow you everywhere you go. It must be worse than normal, but then again, this is August in New England.
Well, it's not your imagination. The wet weather has found another way to sour our summer by making it a banner year for the little bloodsuckers. Walter Montgomery, director of Northeast Mosquito Control, said some species are coming out for the first time in a decade.
"Because of the rain over the last couple of weeks, we have a lot of salt marsh and reflood mosquitoes," Montgomery said. "We haven't had those in 10 years."
With extra rain comes extra mosquitoes, which are inundating coastal properties, especially in the area of Newbury and Rowley, though Montgomery says the problem is stretching throughout the district he sprays, which includes much of Essex County. Cities like Revere and Saugus are also having a problem controlling the nuisance, he said.
And in light of a case of West Nile virus found last week in Merrimac, the situation needs to be monitored closely.
"West Nile is from a species which only bites birds, so we're not really all that concerned," Montgomery said. "We are monitoring the population and testing twice a week as well as collecting samples to send to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to test for virus."
Salt marsh mosquitoes, indigenous to Atlantic coastal areas, are not only a nuisance but are also an important vector of Eastern equine encephalitis. Reflood mosquitoes are prevalent in wetland areas.
EEE is considered much more dangerous than West Nile virus, according to health officials. Of those who get EEE, one-third live, one-third die, and the other third suffer long-term neurological damage.
Symptoms show up within three to 14 days of being bitten by an infected mosquito. They include headache, fever, sore throat and a change in mental status.
Now a week into peak mosquito season, Montgomery said the mosquitoes will continue to be seen until the first frost, though once things dry out from the recent rainfall, the number of mosquitoes should subside.
The only way to control them in your yard is to do what you can to remove standing water. If you have a bird feeder, for instance, you may see mosquito larva swimming around in it.
Montgomery and his crew have done two more aerial sprayings for mosquito larva than in recent years and have increased their truck spraying to keep up with complaints from residents.
"Everywhere along the coast gets clobbered when the salt marsh mosquitoes and the reflood mosquitoes come out," Montgomery said. "We are getting lots of complaints."
Locally, the crews are intensely monitoring the population of the insects and testing for viruses. According to their protocol, once there is any indication of a virus, they contact local boards of health to get the word out and ramp up sprayings.
"We are very much in contact with the local boards of health," Montgomery said.
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