What's that Buzz?
Heavy monsoons mean pesky mosquitoes are buzzing around

Small pools of water form along the stream that is the Rio Puerco of the West. The abundance of rain has allowed water to sand and mosquitoes to breed during the area's wet season.— © 2008 Gallup Independent / Brian Leddy

Copyright © 2008
Gallup Independent
By Kevin Killough
Staff writer

GALLUP — After a heavy monsoon season last month that brought the Gallup area more than twice its normal rainfall, the mosquitoes have found plenty of breeding ground. And many in Gallup are feeling the swarms every evening. Marcia Heifner said the problem can sometimes keep her indoors.

“If we go out on our porch, we get bitten, especially at dusk,” Heifner said.

She said that she’s seen the city’s mosquito control trucks out in the mornings spraying out behind her house on Kit Carson Drive and around the neighborhood.

“They’ve been out about four times,” City Manager Gerry Herrera said.

The process just began about three or four weeks ago, he said. The parks department had to wait until the afternoon downpours stopped.

The city uses a fogging truck that sprays a mixture of pesticides in the morning hours. In addition, the city places pellets in standing-water ponds. Director of Golf Operations Bob Weekes called the pellets “dunks” and said they’re about the size of a donut. The dunks last about a month.

“They seem to be real effective,” he said.

He added that the dunks aren’t effective in large bodies of water like the golf course lakes. For those, the city fogging trucks are required, which is a service the parks department handles.

Executive Director of Parks Ben Welch did not return calls seeking comment for this story.