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Department of Ecology News Release - Oct. 6, 2003
03-196
OLYMPIA - The Department of Ecology (Ecology) is inviting the public to help revise the methods used to control mosquitoes in Washington.
Meetings on mosquito control practices are scheduled in Moses Lake for Oct. 14 and 15, and in Lacey, near Olympia, on Oct. 21. Space is limited, so registration is required. Additional meetings will be scheduled if needed.
One key issue to be discussed is whether methoprene should be used to control mosquitoes in areas with endangered or threatened species. Methoprene is an EPA-approved compound that mimics the action of an insect growth-regulating hormone and keeps insect larvae from maturing normally.
Other topics include monitoring and record-keeping, as well as lessons to be learned from control efforts that took place in 2003.
"Although Washington saw no cases of West Nile virus this year, we know the virus is moving westward," said Kathleen Emmett, an aquatic pesticide specialist for Ecology. "Our goal is to be ready by next February, when the spray season begins."
Washington's current best management practices (BMPs) for controlling mosquitoes can be downloaded from Ecology's Web site: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0310023.html.
For more information or to attend a meeting, contact Emmett at (360) 407-6478 or kemm461@ecy.wa.gov.
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Media contact: Leslie Thorpe, public information manager, (360) 407-6848
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
