larvacide

By

Julie Finley

The Natchez Democrat

NATCHEZ &8212; Adams County emptied out their supply of mosquito-killing larvacide in a day&8217;s time. Now they are ordering more.

The board of supervisors authorized the county road department to distribute the larvacide free to residents in an attempt to reduce the mosquito population this summer.

The response was overwhelming, Road Manager Clarence Jones said. He arrived to work Wednesday to lines of residents waiting for the product.

They are out now &8212; after only a day of distribution &8212; but more is on order, and Jones said he expects more to arrive in a week and half. In the meantime the road department is collecting names and numbers and will contact residents when the larvacide arrives.

The product comes in small pellets that dissolve in water. They attack mosquito eggs but don&8217;t kill the adult insect. One bag is designed to cover a 50-square foot area for four to six weeks.

Jones said the product should be used in small ponds, ditches or other areas of standing water.

But the best way to cut down on the adult mosquito population is to keep your yard clean, Jones said.

&8220;Keep grass cut,&8221; he said. &8220;Clear out old debris laying around.&8221;

The county has distributed larvacide before, but never gotten so many interested people, Board of Supervisors President Darryl Grennell said.

&8220;We can&8217;t eradicate them,&8221; Grennell said. &8220;But it&8217;s good to see that you&8217;ve got a significant amount of people interested. It will have an impact on the mosquito population.&8221;

To get on the list for free larvicide, contact the road department at 601-445-7935.

Once the second order comes in, residents can pick up one bag per person at the road department office on Liberty Road from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

&8220;I&8217;m quite sure we&8217;ll have enough,&8221; he said. &8220;We won&8217;t run out.&8221;