Winning the mosquito war

How to win the war against the summer swarm of mosquitoes. They are a growing nuisance this time of year. And with the threat of West Nile Virus, keeping mosquitoes away is more important than ever.

Thursday, July 25th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

How to win the war against the summer swarm of mosquitoes. They are a growing nuisance this time of year. And with the threat of West Nile Virus, keeping mosquitoes away is more important than ever.

News on Six medical reporter Tami Marler shows us how. At Camp Loughridge in West Tulsa, boys will be boys. "That's Lucas the locust." Lucas is more pet than pest, but these boys have the marks to prove they've encountered worse. "You know we have repellent and we have a first aid station where we keep extras. Some kids just seem to be mosquito magnets, you know and if their kids are really susceptible to that, to make sure that they send that with them and make sure they're applying that through the day."

"Insect repellents that contain 30% DEET for adults and 10% for children are a great idea when you're at a place like a summer camp, but there are some precautions that you can take at home that range from very inexpensive to pretty elaborate."

"You've got your outdoor foggers which work great for if you're gonna have a party outdoors." Rich Womack says sprays like this are just the beginning of Best Hardware's mosquito arsenal. These little donuts attack, even before they hatch. "And you just toss 'em into the water and they'll stay in the water, and they dissolve and they kill the larvae before they develop into mosquitoes."

For high-growth areas where mosquitoes hide, a hand-fogger spreads a chemical that paralyzes mosquitoes, but keep the burner away from dry foliage.

The granddaddy of all weapons is the propane-powered magnet. It attracts mosquitoes with a scent that mimics human breath, then sucks them into a mesh bag and dehydrates them. Itâ€™ll run you between $500 and $1,500, but it's one sure-fire way to say goodbye to mosquitoes.