Some mosquito spraying may be discontinued

GRANDVIEW — Jim Pinson remembers the days before mosquito control near his farmhouse along the banks of the Yakima River east of here. They’re not very fond memories.

Some summer evenings, he recalls, 20 or more mosquitoes could land on just his hand in the time it took to walk from his back door to a deck chair.

In 1992, his neighborhood annexed into the Benton County Mosquito Control District, which sprays a network of ponds just across the Yakima River from his house. A summer evening outdoors now requires a few swats, nothing more.

“We still get mosquitoes, but boy not like we used to,” said Pinson, a retired teacher.

But now Pinson, some of his neighbors and local mosquito control officials worry that they could see an increase in mosquitoes if new spray restrictions are adopted by the state.

Citing its toxicity to fish and other wetland animals, the state Department of Ecology is considering banning the spraying of insecticides that target adult mosquitoes near rivers, ponds and lakes.

There would be clear exceptions to allow spraying in areas where diseases carried by the insects, such was West Nile virus, have been confirmed.

And spraying for larvae, considered less environmentally harmful, would continue as it is now done.

Still, the Ecology Department proposal is drawing fire here and in other parts of the state.

A public hearing last week at the Moses Lake Fire Department attracted more than 200 people, causing the room to overflow.

Critics don’t want to distinguish between a mosquito with a disease and a “nuisance” mosquito, according to Angela Balint, manager of the Benton County Mosquito Control District, which stretches from the Tri-Cities into eastern Yakima County, including in and around Grandview and Mabton.

“We just want to consider all mosquitoes bad,” she said.

No matter how aggressively larvae are sprayed, some still hatch, she said.

She also believes that waiting for a positive disease test could allow mosquitoes to propagate beyond control.

West Nile virus has been repeatedly detected in the Prosser and Grandview areas. Last fall, there were at least 30 confirmed cases of the virus in people in Yakima and Benton counties.

One died, a 71-year-old woman from Sunnyside, which is near, but not in, the Benton County Mosquito District. It is not clear where she contracted the illness.

The district tests for the virus in mosquitoes usually once a week. It takes at least 28 hours to set traps, collect them, test the samples in a lab and determine the results. That’s enough time at the height of summer for adult mosquitoes to breed and hatch, said Kevin McClure, field supervisor for Benton County district.

When the virus is detected in mosquitoes, the state leaves the decision over where and how much to spray for mosquitoes to the local district.

The Benton County Mosquito District plans to treat its entire district with adult-mosquito-killing chemicals as soon as it finds a positive West Nile test, Balint said.

That happened last May. District officials expect the virus to surface even earlier this year because of warmer-than-normal weather and more testing.

Some of the concerns about the state’s proposal are what will happen in the future and what happens in other districts that don’t test as aggressively as the Benton County district does, said Balint, who noted that mosquitoes can fly about 20 miles.

“We want to make sure we’re on top of things always,” she said.

The mosquito district receives about 70 requests per year for adult spraying. Often called fogging, it is typically done from the back of pickups at night. The agency has been known to fog a neighborhood in advance of outdoor weddings and even made several applications with planes last year.

“We just want to perform the service that people are used to in this area,” Balint said.

In eastern Yakima County, a high water table, flood plains and prevalence of irrigation make mosquitoes an “off-the-charts” problem, Balint said.

For example, Morgan Lake, a floodwater pond northeast of Mabton managed by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, had mosquito counts 25 times a typical comfort level some nights last year, Balint said.

“That’s a lot of mosquitoes,” Balint said. “That’s intolerable.”

The areas around Grandview, Mabton and Prosser also are a hot spot for West Nile.

The disease infects horses, birds and people. In 2009, 38 people contracted the disease statewide. Of those, 21 cases were in Yakima County and nine were in Benton County.

“It worked its way all the way through the district” last year, McClure said.

Still, West Nile virus is relatively minor and rare, said Gordon Kelly, director of environmental health for the Yakima Health District. And not all mosquito species common to the Yakima Valley carry it.

He said the Ecology Department’s proposal will have a “minimal effect” on the spread of the virus.

Only one in five people infected with the virus come down with symptoms, which include fever, headache, body aches, rash and swollen lymph nodes. A more serious form of the virus causes neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness, paralysis or death.

And mosquitoes can always be prevented by wearing long-sleeved shirts and repellent, Kelly said.

It’s uncertain how the new rules would affect outdoor barbecues for Jim and Cathy Pinson and their chores on their 30 acres of Concord grapes on the banks of the Yakima River.

They live across the river from Byron Ponds, a network of marshes fed by underground seepage and the Grandview waste water settling ponds.

District employees found West Nile samples there, so they bombed the area by plane six or seven times last summer.

“It made all the difference,” Jim Pinson said.

———

Information from: Yakima Herald-Republic, http://www.yakima-herald.com

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

The second floor of the Lynnwood Crisis Center on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Funding gap leaves Lynnwood without a crisis center provider

The idea for the Lynnwood crisis center began in 2021 after a 47-year-old died by suicide while in custody at Lynnwood Municipal Jail.

Three seriously injured after head-on collision on Highway 522

The crash between Monroe and Maltby happened around 4:30 p.m. on Monday.

Fernando Espinoza salts the sidewalk along Fifth Avenue South on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Think this is cold, Snohomish County? Wait until Tuesday

Tuesday could bring dangerous wind chill during the day and an overnight low of 19 degrees

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Devani Padron, left, Daisy Ramos perform during dance class at Mari's Place Monday afternoon in Everett on July 13, 2016. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)
Mari’s Place helps children build confidence and design a better future

The Everett-based nonprofit offers free and low-cost classes in art, music, theater and dance for children ages 5 to 14.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

The Washington State Department of Licensing office is seen in 2018 in Seattle. (Sue Misao / The Herald)
Drivers licensing offices to close Feb. 14-17

Online services are also not available Feb. 10-17. The Washington State Department of Licensing said the move is necessary to upgrade software.

Pharmacist Nisha Mathew prepares a Pfizer COVID booster shot for a patient at Bartell Drugs on Broadway on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Everett lawmakers back universal health care bill, introduced in Olympia

Proponents say providing health care for all is a “fundamental human right.” Opponents worry about the cost of implementing it.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.