FYI from AMY: A work in progress

http://news.menshealth.com/when-mosquitoes-attack/2011/06/29/

Adviser today

http://www.mosquitomisternatural.com/naprovit.html

 

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/the-best-green-ways-to-rid-your-yard-of-ticks-and-mosquitoes.html#ixzz2W2N2bGvm

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INFO on SPRAYING PLANS – DALLAS COUNTY
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To get West Nile aerial spraying alerts to your phone, text the word SPRAY to 48411.

WFAA West Nile page (best source of updated info, including great maps of coverage areas):
http://www.wfaa.com/news/health/west-nile

City of Dallas West Nile Virus webpage (can’t seem to keep it updated most of the time): http://www.dallascityhall.com/westNile_aerial-spraying.html

City of Dallas Facebook page (seems more updated):
http://www.facebook.com/DallasCityHall

Dallas County:
http://www.dallascounty.org/department/public_info/westnile.php

To report mosquito breeding situations: http://www.dallascounty.org/department/hhs/mosquitoform.html

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INFO on SPRAYING – OTHER COUNTIES
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Collin
http://www.co.collin.tx.us/healthcare_services/west_nile/west_nile.jsp

Denton
http://dentoncounty.com/heart/wnv/

Tarrant
http://www.tarrantcounty.com/ehealth/cwp/view.asp?a=763&Q=485740&PM=1

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INFO on SPRAYING – OTHER CITIES
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Addison
http://www.addisongreen.info/2012/08/20/protect-yourself-from-west-nile-virus/

Allen
http://www.cityofallen.org/index.aspx?NID=923

Arlington
http://www.arlingtontx.gov/health/infectiousdiseases_mosquitocontrol.html

Balch Springs
http://www.cityofbalchsprings.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=64

Bedford
http://www.ci.bedford.tx.us/

Carrollton
http://www.cityofcarrollton.com/index.aspx?page=27&recordid=1116

Cedar Hill
http://www.cedarhilltx.com/index.aspx?NID=489

Colleyville
http://www.colleyville.com/news/Latest_News/article392.html

Coppell
http://www.ci.coppell.tx.us/departments/departments-a-e/environmental-health/mosquito-control/west-nile-virus-faq

Desoto
?

Duncanville
http://www.duncanville.com/index.aspx?NID=720

Euless
http://www.eulesstx.gov/environment/westnile.htm

Farmers Branch
https://www.farmersbranch.info/protect/environmental-health/faqs

Flower Mound
http://www.flower-mound.com/index.aspx?NID=382

Frisco
?

Garland
http://www.ci.garland.tx.us/gov/hk/health/services/nile.asp

GrandPrairie
http://www.gptx.org/index.aspx?page=22&recordid=3223

Grapevine
http://www.grapevinetexas.gov/IndividualDepartments/AnimalControl/WestNileVirus.aspx

Hurst
http://www.ci.hurst.tx.us/Departments/Publicworks/index.htm

Irving
http://www.ci.irving.tx.us/parks-and-recreation/west-nile-update.asp

Lancaster
?

Lavon
?

Lewisville
http://www.cityoflewisville.com/wcmsite/publishing.nsf/Content/Health+officials+responding+to+mosquitoes%2C+West+Nile+Virus

McKinney
www.mckinneytexas.org/mosquitocontrol

Mesquite
http://www.cityofmesquite.com/food_insp/westnile.php

Plano
http://plano.gov/health/Pages/WNV.aspx

Richardson
http://cor.net/index.aspx?page=713

Rockwall
http://www.rockwall.com/Mosquitocontrol/index.asp

Rowlett
http://www.rowlett.com/index.aspx?nid=162

Sachse
http://www.cityofsachse.com/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=195

Wylie
http://www.wylietexas.gov/departments/public_works/west_nile_virus.php

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ANTI- SPRAYING
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Activists’ website:
http://stopthespraydallas.blogspot.com/

Activists’ petition:
https://www.change.org/petitions/dallas-stop-the-spray-combat-mosquitoes-the-intelligent-way

Eco references:
http://stopthespraydallas.blogspot.com/p/referencesmedia.html
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REPORT DAMAGE from SPRAYING
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Hotline to report any known or suspected pesticide related injury from aerial spraying an to refer residents to the appropriate agency to report those injuries: (469) 619-7367

Survey from Texas A&M about effects from aerial spraying. Monitor for 1 week and then fill out survey:  http://tamuag.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_4NqjdNx4UIAM7rv

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TIPS to REDUCE DAMAGE from SPRAYING
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Precautions:

Bring in: all pets, bird feeders, animal bedding and bowls, chair pads and any textiles that absorb, tools and anything you pick up regularly with your hands (touching the spray and that touching your face can cause real problems).
Cover with the strongest tarps you can find: pond, vegetable and fruit plants, flowers and nectar plants (protect bees and hummingbirds!), bee hives, chicken coops, and so on.
Turn off your air-conditioning the night of the spray so that it is not drawn inside your house.
Afterwards:

Keep animals in for a day. This is especially important for cats who are extremely sensitive to this pesticide.
Apply zeolite, activated charcoal, humate, dry molasses or compost to your lawn and garden to help neutralize the spray’s toxicity. (You can also do this prior to spraying.)
Rinse off everything in your yard, including your car, very well. Don’t forget fences, trees and roofs where cats climb.
A sunny hot day will neutralize the spray the fastest, so be cautious if the weather turns cloudy afterward.
Info from University of Texas

http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2012/08/16/dont-spray-me-bro-2/ theater

Natural mosquito control info:

from Howard Garrett: http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Mosquito-Spraying-West-Nile-Virus_vq1167.htm
Hello,
We know. We know that that we live in an ecosystem that struggles to stay balanced and healthy. We know we are connected to the ecosystem and connected to each other in a web of life. It’s clear to us that by spraying poisons only one day ‘s worth of mosquitoes are killed. Also killed are the mosquito predators like dragonflies and frogs. Days after the spraying, new mosquitoes will emerge, lay their eggs which will hatch with few predators to keep them in check. Which, of course, will lead to calls for more spraying, ad infinitum until the weather curtails the mosquito population.

Such short-terming thinking! By not working with the ecosystem, by waiting until West Nile Virus was in a crisis state, they have to work harder, spend more money, and inflict much damage as they do.

West Nile Virus is a tragic problem. People have died, left loved ones wracked with grief, and the epicenter of the virus is Dallas. That makes it even more important to think long term, act smart and work with the ecosystem that produced the problem in the first place. The option that other cities have followed is to distribute larvacides that destroy mosquito eggs and larva. As adult mosquitos die out and there are no young emerging to replace them. It’s not direct, it’s not immediate, it’s not visible. It’s working with the ecosystem and setting something in motion that pays dividends a short way down the road that last much longer.

But killing mosquitos makes leaders feel like they’ve done something, and the petrochemical pesticide lobby has more influence to those in power than companies who sell biological larvacides. Short term, might-makes-right thinking and showboat politics. Classic dominator-model mindframe. The cognitive dissonance from Dallas and surrounding suburbs’ actions is mind-blowing: “We care about you, so we will spray everything with poison and create more mosquitos. But we’ll look like heroes.”

No, you look like dinosaurs.

The situation has left me convinced that getting the Moonlady News website up and public is more important than ever. People in power need to hear our message that we are all one web and that to do harm to one part does harm to it all. This holistic way of looking at life is not lost in polarities that fool us into thinking our options are limited. We face down fear, tame our reactions, look at the entirety of a situation and think long term.

Aerial spraying is set to start on Thursday evening. East Dallas and White Rock Lake has been targeted first. But rainy weather may delay. Allegedly you can find the latest news on when and where the aerial spraying will occur here — http://www.dallascityhall.com/westNile_aerial-spraying.html — but the city of Dallas is also notoriously incompetent about their website operations.

Precautions:

Bring in: all pets, bird feeders, animal bedding, chair pads and any textiles that absorb, tools and anything you pick up regularly with your hands. (Touching the spray and that touching your face can cause real problems.)
Cover with the strongest tarps you can find: pond, vegetable and fruit plants, flowers and nectar plants (protect bees and hummingbirds!), bee hives, chicken coops, and so on.
Turn off your air-conditioning the night of the spray so that it is not drawn inside your house.
Afterwards:

Keep animals in for a day. This is especially important for cats who are extremely sensitive to this pesticide.
Apply zeolite, activated charcoal, humate, dry molasses or compost to your lawn and garden to help neutralize the spray’s toxicity. (You can also do this prior to spraying.)
Rinse off everything in your yard, including your car, very well. Don’t forget fences, trees and roofs where cats climb.
Websites for more info on spraying:

http://stopthespraydallas.blogspot.com/
http://www.dallascityhall.com/westNile_aerial-spraying.html
Natural mosquito control info:

from Howard Garrett: http://www.dirtdoctor.com/Mosquito-Spraying-West-Nile-Virus_vq1167.htm
I am immensely sad. I am sad for the victims of West Nile Virus. I am also sad for the future victims of West Nile Virus: the children of pregnant women exposed to the pesticides, the people with respiratory issues and chemical sensitivities who will be sickened by the toxic fog, the caretakers of animals who will mourn the loss of their companions. Take pictures of the damage, chronicle the loss, especially at our lakes and parks where animals can not be protected.

Yours in grief… Amy/Moonlady

Moonlady News
www.Moonlady.com
moonladynews@gmail.com

 

Natural mosquito repellents approved by the CDC

Botanicals can repel mosquitoes. It’s not just wishful thinking or crazy talk from your naturalist cousin.

The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta has approved select plant extracts, and the ingredient in Avon’s Skin So Soft, as effective at deterring mosquitoes, including those that carry West Nile Virus.

DEET, the chemical in many manufactured mosquito sprays, remains an effective deterrent, according to the CDC. And both DEET and botanical repellents offer longer protection in higher concentrations,  according to the CDC, which elaborated in a recent update:

In general, higher concentrations of active ingredient provide longer duration of protection, regardless of the active ingredient, although concentrations above ~50% do not offer a marked increase in protection time. Products with <10% active ingredient may offer only limited protection, often from 1-2 hours. Products that offer sustained release or controlled release (micro-encapsulated) formulations, even with lower active ingredient concentrations, may provide longer protection times. Regardless of what product you use, if you start to get mosquito bites reapply the repellent according to the label instructions or remove yourself from the area with biting insects if possible.

Unlike previous dispatches, which suggested DEET was the best way to go for extended protection, this one makes clear that you’ve got a choice, and won’t be sacrificing protection, if you prefer a natural repellent.

Here are the CDC-approved natural mosquito repellents (one mimics a natural ingredient):

• Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus — This natural, essential oil has become the ingredient in a host of commercial and homemade repellents. You can find recipes online for mixing oil of lemon eucalyptus into water and other solutions, to make a spritzer for your patio or yourself. Be aware though that people can experience allergic skin reactions to this, or any natural essence. Try a dab of your diluted solution before slathering it everywhere.

• Picaridin – This is a synthetic that  is part of the piperidine family of compounds, based on the extract from plants used to make black pepper. Applied to clothing, picaridin deters insects from feeding or biting. It’s considered safe for use on the skin, and is sold in repellent solutions in 20 percent strength.

• IR3535 —  The ingredient sounds mysterious, but you know it if you’re familiar with Avon’s Skin-So-Soft distinctive smell. This long time Avon product smells a little like citronella candles, and Avon’s developed an extensive line for mosquito defense, offering the original formula and variations that include sunscreen.  It surfaced as an alternative to DEET, when that chemical suffered some bad press after sensitive individuals suffered allergic reactions, and even neurological effects. (The manufacturer attributed these to overuse of DEET.)  Other brands, such as Bullfrog also are using this ingredient in repellents.

• Catnip Oil – This botanical oil from the herb by the same name (more properly known as refined oil of Nepeta Cataria) offers 7 to 15 hours of protection, depending on the concentration (7 percent or 15 percent).  It can be found in a variety of botanical repellents on the market. It is sometimes combined with other essential oils, such as oils of geranium, citronella and lemon grass.

• p-Menthane-3,8-diol — This “biologicial” pesticide is a synthetic made to mimic the naturally occurring compound found in lemon eucalyptus plants. It repels flies and gnats, as well as mosquitoes.

Tags: capnip, citronella, DEET, mosquito repellents, natural repellents, oil of lemon eucalyptus, Skin So Soft