~ jan wrote:
On Mon, 9 Apr 2007 08:12:10 CST, "drsolo" wrote:

you need to make the case for those frogs holding down the mosquito and
fly populations. they are fighting West Nile Virus, etc. Ingrid

Oh, I have a story about that:

Surprise at My Ponds (6/27/2006)

Tuesday morning I stepped out to get the paper to see 2 guys in blue
shirts walking off my property with a mosquito dipper in their hands.
"WHAT THE H*LL?" I think as I note their truck is parked 3 houses up.
"WHAT THE H*LL?" I think again. I was just a tad ticked.

Now... many of you will remember my troubles with neighbors who don't
appreciate nature, in particular tree frogs mating.

To see why they had been on my property without even a courtesy knock, I
headed up to where their truck was parked. They see me coming, and it's
like, "Oops, we're caught." So they walk back towards me. I ask, "So you
guys don't come knock when you come on private property?"

"Well, ah, we were just checking the area and noticed your pond and took
a quick check." To which I said there was no way they could have
"noticed" from the street. So I told them what I thought, that they got a
complaint and rather than come talk to me, thinking they were avoiding a
confrontation, they got one anyway. Had they come knocked I would have
showed them the whole yard and that there are more water holding
receptacles on my property than my lily pond to be worried about. Of
course they're all safe, between fish, taddies, or Bt. That's when the
one guy mentioned it was a yellow tub, one I set up to quarantine a
T.lily, that got their attention. The yellow tub can only be seen if you
walk right up to the fence, so much for "just noticed it." I think what
they did was use the dipper over the fence, BECAUSE the gate is LOCKED.
Who'd of thought I'd be keeping out ADULTS!!!!

Needless to say, they didn't find anything! (Now that would have been
embarrassing!)

When I came inside I was still upset, and I had yet to remember my yard
being locked, so I was wondering where else had these guys put their
little "who knows where it has been" dipper?

So I decided to call the Mosquito District and talk to the Manager. I
discussed the situation with him, and he told me they should have
knocked. He also said they had gotten a complaint in the area, so they
were checking the whole neighborhood. I mentioned the situation with my
neighbor (I wish I would have added if there are more mosquitos in the
neighborhood it is because I had to remove 37 frogs!). He said that my
address didn't stick out as one being on the list. I also mentioned the
dipper and that *I assumed* they didn't sterilize that between tests? He
knew right away I was concerned about cross contamination. So the yellow
tub is being drained (no T.lily yet) and sun dried. He did say that they
weren't suppose to use that in a residential area, just observe. So shame
on them, 2 counts!

I guess I'll have to add that to my neighborhood frog letter next year,
how I keep the mosquito larva controlled around here. I'm even being so
careful as to put dunks in my filter barrels this year. I don't think the
water moves enough, the surface looks way too calm for my comfort. After
all, I don't want to be bit either!

The manager asked how I would rate the mosquitoes this season, and I said
they haven't been bad at all this year. Both DH & I have been bit once so
far, the boys not at all. I usually put tons of spray or lotion on, and I
haven't even been doing that. I've used some, but I tend to have to get
bit a couple of times before I'm real good about it.
-----
That was the story I sent out to local pond people last year. I wouldn't
put it pass these people to complaint about the water falling from the
filter to the pond next. ~ jan

Edit it down and send it to "Letters to the Editor" at your local
newspapers, too! Mosquito larvae are good frog food, as you observed. ;-)

--
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