Question:
Mexico has just declared a West Nile Virus emergency. WNV vaccines haven't
been effective protecting their horses. "The U.S. Agriculture Department
reported that about a third of the 15,000 horses infected in 2002 died."
http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/07/15/sprj.wnv.mexico.reut/index.html
I hope everyone is making a serious effort at mosquito abatement! If anyone
has a particularly effective method, now is a great time to share ...
Answer:
Answer:This may sound really nutty, but I got some cheapy minnows from a bait
shop and tossed them in our horse tank. It is one of the large round
rubbermaid tanks. I have no clue how many gallons it is... maybe 100+
or something like that. The water is clearer now and there are NO
mosquito larvae in it at all.
Reply: Not "nutty" at all. Our county ag extension provides what are commonly
known as mosquito fish. In the pastures we have large troughs that are
automatically filled using floats. Even with no fish I rarely see any
mosquitoes around. We also have 2 bug zappers that supposedly also kill
mosquitoes. The water cycle for night pasture irrigation creates a few small
morning puddles that are gone well before noon. We don't have much that
could be considered standing water on the property or nearby.
We rarely see mosquitoes around here, and we chose mosquito abatement as the
prevention method over using the Ft Dodge WNV vaccine. Too many question
marks related to breeding programs with the vaccine. We're in a low risk WNV
area, and can only hope our prevention method is the right choice. But with
the epidemic of WNV in Mexico and an increasing potential for carriers that
might travel north, I thought it a good idea to revisit options.
