Take Action, Locals: Mosquito Emergency in DC

Are you concerned about the mosquito problem in DC? By mosquito problem, I mean the bloodthirsty rampaging of insects that sends us screaming back inside during the balmiest of seasons, the kind of insect assault that makes my homeopathy-loving pediatrician comment wryly, "Just keep slathering their (scabbed and bleeding) legs with Neosporin." I've written about my desire for mosquito abatement measures before.

Well, a fellow citizen has taken action and invites us to do so, too. Apparently, DC claims to be abating the mosquito problem with BT dunks in our poorly-designed, water-retaining sewers. Always skittish careful about supposedly benign (DDT ring a bell?) pest control measures, I checked Beyond Pesticide's take on Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis and they give it an unreserved thumbs-up. I emailed Carol, mosquito activist and author of the letter below, and she concurred: "BT dunks are completely safe; bacillus thuringiensis is a natural soil-dwelling bacterium that is toxic to mosquito larvae. It is used by organic gardeners worldwide to control crop-eating caterpillars."

So, what can we do? Check out the letter below, cut & paste it and adapt it slightly (or write an equally passionate and informed plea in your spare time) and send it to Mr. Carl Profater, the West Nile Virus Coordinator for the DC Department of Animal Disease Prevention (carl.profater@dc.gov), Mayor Adrian Fenty (adrian.fenty@dc.gov), your Council Member and your ANC rep.

Thanks, Carol! You rock. Death to the skeeters. Hats off to problem-solving neighbors.

Dear Mr. Profater,

Can you please let us know what the city of Washington is doing about the worsening mosquito problem, particularly in our area? In the past six to seven years, the mosquito population has exploded in DC and many residents can no longer use their yards.

The problem is not only the advent of the Asian Tiger; the mosquito population as a whole has exploded. There has been much discussion on neighborhood listservs about the fact that the city's storm drains contain standing water and that vast numbers of mosquitos are breeding there.

City workers say that the city is supposed to place BT dunks in the drains on a weekly basis. However, we have never seen this done, nor has anyone on the neighborhood listservs; we have lived at our current address for (insert length of residency here) years.

(Fascinating, but only Carol has had these specific, blissfully mosquito-free evening barbecues - if you have relevant anecdotes, share 'em here: Two years ago we moved out of our DC house for a year and a half while it was being renovated. During that time we rented two houses in Loudoun and Faquier counties in Virginia -- one on a working cattle farm with ponds, the other on a rural property with three muddy ponds right next to the house. We enjoyed dinner outside all summer at both places -- without having to even think about mosquitos, repellent, torches, or any other mosquito-fighting equipment.)

Here at our home in DC, we literally cannot stand on the sidewalk for thirty seconds to talk to a neighbor -- forget about having dinner or sitting outside! -- even if we slather on mosquito repellent and surround ourselves with mosquito torches and candles.

The mosquito plague of recent years' onset in our neighborhood is not a result of water sitting in a couple of flower pots here and there on various neighbors' properties. There is a much more fundamental reason why this is occurring and we need a fundamental solution.

We are having a mosquito emergency. This is an enormous public health problem and demands immediate, potent, and continuous action. Please let us know what the city will do to help us and the other residents of Washington, DC on the threshold of summer 2008.

PS You'll note I echo Carol Grunewald's sentiments. She expressed perfectly what many DC residents feel about the outrageous number of mosquitoes here in the city -- my neighborhood in (insert your neighborhood name here) is similarly uninhabitable outdoors during mosquito season.

Read more!

Make Your Own Fingerpaints (Wholesome Handprint Goodness)

Make your own nontoxic finger paints with this recipe from planet green. I adapted the recipe to use natural dyes but you could use food coloring. We've only made pink (smirk) with beet juice* 'cause we are waiting for the opportune carrot and blueberry moments to make orange and blue. No matter; rose rocked!


One cool thing about this recipe is that you can make it without flour, so kids who have gluten sensitivity can still play.


DIY Fingerpaint

2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 cups water including beet, carrot, or blueberry juice as dye
1/4 cup liquid dishwashing soap (add after cooking!!)



1. Mix the sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan and slowly stir in the water.

2. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly until the mixture is a clear, smooth gel. Stir in the soap and remove from the heat. When cool enough to handle, scoop it into storage containers.




*In case you're curious about the origin of our beet juice, the way I cook beets is to put about a half inch or an inch of water in the bottom of a slow cooker or a stockpot and slowly steam/parboil the beets until soft. When you take your beets out to devour with olive oil, sea salt and lemon, you have plenty of dye left over for art projects. Throw it in the fridge until you want to use it. I like the beet juice because it's a cooking byproduct and therefore not wasteful. If anyone has any other ideas for easy, natural dyes, I'm all ears. Read more!