ANDREWS, Texas — The city of Andrews was hit hard by the rains that had affected the Permian Basin.
However, even with the rains gone, it left plenty of puddles and other standing bodies of water all over the city.
That, and the blistering heat, means that a swarm of mosquitoes have moved into Andrews.
This is why the city has begun to "fog," or spray, the city streets in order to combat the wave of mosquitoes that has plagued the town.
“We’re trying to find locations that are most affected by the mosquitoes," said Andrews City Manager Steve Eggleston. "We’re having people call in and place work orders so we can identify the areas that are affected most by the mosquitoes, and if we don’t get work orders, we are spraying wherever we can.”
To better stop the swarms, the city is going right after the source of the insects by dropping larvicides into bodies of water that accrue on the ground in Andrews.
“The most important thing we can do is make sure the mosquitoes aren’t ever hatched to begin with, and that’s the place to get them, once they get to any size they can certainly bite you," said Eggleston. "So we’re trying to catch them before they get into the air, and getting them in the water is the best place we can get them."
However, this isn't the only way Andrews is taking on the insects.
They are making sure the lawns of city properties are properly mowed and kept trash free, and are encouraging the rest of the city to follow suit.
"We're also making a concerted effort to encourage our people to mow their yards," said Eggleston. "That's probably the biggest impact our citizens could make, to make sure their lawns are mowed and the areas around their houses are picked up, and there's not trash and tires or anything accumulating water."
Picking up trash, taking care of the weeds and especially mowing the lawn: all of these simple chores can go miles to getting these bugs to buzz off.
It also keeps diseases out of Andrews.
“One of the biggest concerns we have is that Andrews in the past has had West Nile [Virus], and obviously mosquitoes are one of the main contributors to that," said Eggleston. "So we’re concerned about the possibility of West Nile or any mosquito transmitted type disease.”
To place a work order with the city, you can call 432-523-4820.