Deadly Mosquitoes in New England

[ACE of Bass]

MA, RI, and CT have had a few people die from the mosquito born illness EEE in the last couple weeks. There is no cure and no vaccine for EEE. 

I love the fall night bite but i'm waiting it out- it's not worth it. Kids sporting events are being cancelled and rescheduled in the evening due to the mosquitoes.

Cover up, wear deet, or wait for the 1st frost! Fish Safe. 

[biggfeast]

Man I hope that doesn’t make its way to CA. I’ve been getting torn up this year by them dang little pests with all this humidity we’re getting 

[dean_d]

Jesus christ, wonder how long it takes to pop up in ny... good luck man and thanks for the heads up never heard of that before

[bassbass]

Stay safe. This also happened years ago in RI and they sprayed from the air at night. Had to keep pets and stuff inside.

[drewmoniz]

24 minutes ago, bassbass said:

Stay safe. This also happened years ago in RI and they sprayed from the air at night. Had to keep pets and stuff inside.

They just did aerial spraying the last two nights. Somebody in my town just died from EEE yesterday. I try not to get caught up in the hysteria but it’s kinda hard not to think about it. Especially with my kids. 

[timcauliffe]

Very local to me. 5 year old boy got bit with it recently the next town over. I'm still stupid enough to night fish the ponds close by.

[El_Weruso]

7 hours ago, biggfeast said:

Man I hope that doesn’t make its way to CA. I’ve been getting torn up this year by them dang little pests with all this humidity we’re getting 

Same here bro! I live in the LA area and God dam mosquitos are everywhere. 

[deaknh]

Anyone remember bird flu? Ebola? Mad cow? 1 or 2 cases and crap gets blown up, people get scared. With millions of people in the states "affected", I'm not worried about 1 person getting something. 

[NEbucketmouth19]

I live in VT currently but I am from and frequently visit MA. My home town and surrounding towns are at critical EEE risk right now. I've gone out at dusk a couple times but I cover up in bugspray. 

EEE is about as serious as it gets when it comes to this stuff but your odds are still extremely low. Take precautions and determine what you are willing to risk but I'm not changing plans much. I figure it's more likely I'll die driving to my fishing spot than it is I get bit my an infected mosquito. It's a personal call. I'm a single dude so my risk tolerance is probably a bit higher than some other people's. 

Nice thing about this time of year is you can really cover up in thick clothing without getting hot which helps ward off most of them. 

Edited September 10, 2019 by NEbucketmouth19

[ewillsd]

In San Diego we have the new ones called tiger mosquitoes. Their bite lasts longer and hurts more. luckily there haven't been any sicknesses tied to them yet.

[waynem]

I'm attending funeral services Saturday for a neighbor who passed away after getting EEE.  It is definitely something to take seriously.  About 30% of people who contract EEE do not survive.  Many of those who do survive have permanent brain damage.

The most effective sprays for mosquitos contain DEET.  Also If I'm fishing where or when I expect mosquitos, I wear clothes treated with permethrin which is effective for both ticks and mosquitos.

[bigpoppabass]

Best precaution is to fish in wind. We have had very little wind this summer in my area. 

[timcauliffe]

First frost (advisory) Saturday early am!

[Amistoad]

We’ve got west Nile and Zika here in Texas. Every year a few people die from it. As these things mutate and evolve, it’ll get worse. Spraying only makes pesticide resistant mosquitoes. I wear long clothes and try my best to avoid getting bit. Even so...I get bit. 

[aikenyounggun]

I have never even heard of this and hiked through a couple of those states this year.  Hope the first frost kills all of the buggers and everyone can breathe a little easier.

Permethrin is a clothes treatment - you spray it directly on to your pants and shirts, let them dry - that kills ticks and other bugs on contact.  It is sold in Walmart and most sporting good stores.  Look in or near the hiking stuff.  It is sold in yellow bottles (usually plastic).  Follow the instructions for application.  It last 6 weeks or X amount of washes.

If you’re willing to commit to one or two “fishing” outfits, you can send them off to professional companies.  When applied professionally, I think it lasts 6 months or maybe longer.

Also, you can buy 100% DEET spray.  Just be careful with getting it on anything that isn’t your skin or clothes.  It will ‘melt’ plastic.  Tackle boxes, phone cases, watches, and I’m sure baits aren’t safe from the power of DEET.  I know it sounds crazy to hear that then spray it in yourself, but it works.  I don’t use it all the time, but when you NEED something - DEET is where it is at.