ABSTRACT
The WHAMM Program was started on July 1, 1997. There are two units of the program, one unit is the Wetlands Restoration Unit and the other is the Mosquito Management Unit. Since the state is the largest salt marsh owner, the state will control salt marsh mosquitoes as a good neighbor to shoreline communities. After the budget was passed ($444,000.00) and the bill signed by the Governor, the Mosquito Management Unit started. $300,000.00 was for the new Mosquito Management Program. Two Wetlands Restoration Specialists filled the two of the Mosquito Control Specialist positions and start working on surveillance of larvae on state owned salt marshes. Data will be collected on each site. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) received $144,000.00 to start the EEE arbovirus surveillance program which will run from June through the first frost which was Oct. 15. Mosquito Management Unit (MN" crews and CAES identified EEE Surveillance sites based on the EEE Trapping in 1996 and 199 1. Each County will have at least two traps. The two Mosquito Control Supervisors started to identify freshwater breeding habitats around these EEE trap locations for our Contingency Plan for EEE. We will identify trap sites with the CAES using 1990 and 1991 trap site data and the EEE trap sites in 1996. This Contingency Plan for EEE was developed by the DEP, DPH, and CAES. The Mosquito Management Team developed brochures and other information to hand out to the public through the Communications Division of DEP. The Mosquito Management Coordinator attended a DPH Local Health Directors meeting, an Environmental Health Meeting and Council of Goverment's meetings to discuss what the towns and cities can do for their own mosquito control programs. Also, a list of license mosquito control operators for spraying adulticides is available.
The DEP and the CAES have continued to trap five mosquitoes for
EEE testing. Test results are sent out to state officials, town
officials, CDC and surrounding states. The DEP Communications
had set up a Mosquito Information Line which was updated every
Monday afternoon with the previous mosquito trapping and testing
results. All test results for Connecticut mosquitoes were negative
except for two traps in late September at the Stonington Mgh School
where we had two pools of Cs. melanura (a bird biting mosquito)
test positive. 43,000 mosquitoes, collected from 37 locations
around Connecticut, have been trapped and tested. This summer,
mosquitoes have tested positive for EEE in Kingston, Massachusetts
and Westerly RI. A Plainville, MA man tested positive for EEE.
In Rhode Island, a horse had died of EEE in Westerly. Connecticut
issued a warning for residents to take precautions against mosquito
bites. In Connecticut, if EEE trap results become positive, the
contingency plan will trigger a response similar to MA and RI.
Part of the contingency involves identification of larval breeding
sites around the positive trap sites and treating these sites
with a larvicide or adulticide if human biting mosquitoes are
present. Finally, three Emus died in Waterford, CT on Sept. 30,
Oct. 1, and Oct. 2. The three Emus was positive EEE confirmed
on Oct. 20, 1997. We will be adding this area to our trapping
sites in 1998.
When severe salt marsh breeding sites are found, the sites are
to be documented and data collected from each site for open marsh
water management (OMWM) work in the winter. The staff will continue
to control the salt marsh mosquitoes, on state own lands and will
continue to collect data on severe mosquito breeding site for
OMWM work. These plans must pass through the Wetlands Restoration
Steering Committee and then apply for DEP and Army Corps of Engineers
Permits before any OMWM work is done. In October, the MMU Program
will shift to start working on plans in coastal salt marshes and
will be able to help with the Wetlands Restoration Unit crew.
The (Wetlands Habitat and Mosquito Management) Program will work
together and restore and enhance salt marshes and freshwater sites.