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City of Midland taking steps to fight mosquitoes

Mosquito prevention is one less battle the City of Midland hopes to fight as they're planning ahead for a tough mosquito season.

Mosquito prevention is one less battle the City of Midland hopes to fight as they're planning ahead for a tough mosquito season.

The city's effort stems from a large number of West Nile virus cases within Texas. More than 250 cases were reported last year alone. Something they say can be prevented.

City officials said they're expecting a tough mosquito season because of the recent rains, adding mosquito prevention is a community wide effort.

The lake at C.J. Kelly Park is one of the many bodies of water the City of Midland is throwing larvacides, or little donuts packed with bacteria, to prevent mosquito growth.

"You kill it before they even become an adult so you can prevent the disease they are carrying, if they do carry a disease," said Andy Dominguez, a Parks and Recreation Contract Inspector.

They say larva usually rest along high grass or brush and they're urging residents to mow it.

"What we're using are mosquito "dunks" or mosquito donuts and you can actually buy them at Lowes or Home Depot," said Sara Bustilloz, Midland's Public Information Officer. "So it's something citizens can use in their own backyard if they have standing water."

However, pet lovers out there are probably wondering if this is a safe alternative?

"They can eat it like food. They won't do anything as far as getting them sick or killing them or anything like that."

This park inspector says one donut can treat about 150 square feet, a faster alternative compared to fogging or spraying, especially on a windy day like today.

"The adult mosquitoes you would usually fog but with the wind it's not going to be effective," said Dominguez. "It's just going to blow away."

"So the stuff we're using now actually attacks the mosquitoes in their larva stage so they don't become adults," said Bustilloz.

In case you're still not sure of what can be a potential breeding site for mosquitoes, city officials tell you what you need to look out for in your back yard.

"Birdbaths need to be changed every three to four days," said Bustilloz. Even your dog's water bowl, that seems like something so little but once everything is combined it can really become a problem." "The temperatures are about to heat up so those are going to be great conditions for mosquitoes to start breeding."

Officials remind you not to forget the three D's of mosquito control. Dress in loose light colored clothes to prevent bites, use repellent with deet and drain any standing water.

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