Update is given on mosquito spraying in parish

Not only did Hurricane Laura bring a swath of destruction with her, she also brought a massive swarm of mosquitoes. Technically, mosquitoes cannot survive high winds, but all the extra rain from Laura helped to hatch the eggs from previous floodwater mosquitoes. Laura basically fertilized their breeding ground. Now their eggs have hatched, and the little tykes are becoming tiny, flying vampires who seek out anyone who dares to venture outdoors between dusk and dawn.
While Louisiana is no stranger to the blood-sucking arthropods, when they become particularly active, people take notice. The Evangeline Parish Police Jury has been spraying the parish roadsides in an effort to combat the mosquito population. According to police jury president Ryan LeDay Williams, the spraying started in the early part of last week and will go on through this weekend. Mosquito abatement spraying is being conducted roadside within each of the municipalities of Evangeline Parish, not just the rural areas. “I wanted to ensure that the mosquito control company would not miss a single roadside in the parish,” said Williams. The police jury will decide at their regular Monday meeting whether or not to conduct aerial spraying.
Mosquitoes can be deadly in some instances as they have been known to cause Malaria, Zika, Yellow Fever, West Nile virus, and Encephalitis to name a few. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “The types of mosquitoes that can spread viruses may increase two weeks to two months after a hurricane, especially in areas that did not flood but received more rainfall than usual.” These are called Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which are prominent in Louisiana and the southern half of the U.S.
The mosquitoes also pose a risk for pets that are susceptible to heartworms, which can be fatal to dogs, cats, and ferrets, including a variety of wild animals. Treating heartworms is risky and costly, but prevention is easy with a monthly dose of medication.
The CDC recommends emptying and scrubbing, turning over, covering, or throwing out any items that hold water such as tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpot saucers, or trash containers. This is because mosquitoes lay eggs near standing water. They also recommend using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered insect repellents with one of the following active ingredients: DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol, or 2-undecanone. Do not apply insect repellent to pets. DEET, the main ingredient in most drugstore bug sprays, can cause vomiting, seizures, and skin irritation when exposed to pets. Some insect repellents may be used on children two months and older, but there are guidelines.