Livestock owners in the Altai region express worry over the threat posed by mosquitoes.
Residents in the Egoevsky district of the Altai region are grappling with an escalating mosquito infestation, as reported by Altai News. In the village of Novoegeyskoye, several calves have succumbed to mosquito bites, despite efforts to use mosquito nets for protection.
The pesky insects seem unyielding even in the face of colder weather, making a swift return whenever the sun emerges. The district's mosquito outbreak began in mid-May.
Local residents are actively maintaining their lawns and treating their properties against mosquitoes, yet they point to the area's lakes—of which there are three—as potential breeding grounds that remain untreated.
The district administration acknowledged their financial constraints in treating the water bodies, leaving personal subsidiary farm owners uneasy about potential livestock losses. There are two farms in the district, and many families keep animals.
Entomological experts suggest implementing a combination of mosquito population control measures to combat this issue effectively. These include environmental management, chemical control, and biological control methods.
Environmental management strategies involve larval source reduction by inspecting and treating standing water sources, draining or filling low-lying areas, and vegetation management to eliminate mosquito resting sites. Chemical control entails insecticide fogging, aerial spraying, and the use of repellents to minimize the mosquito population. Biological control methods may include introducing predatory species or using Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), a bacteria toxic to mosquito larvae.
To prevent livestock deaths from mosquito-borne diseases, it is essential to protect livestock housing with insecticides, mosquito nets, or repellents, apply animal-safe repellents or treatments, and ensure vaccination programs are in place where available. Early reporting systems, education campaigns, interagency cooperation, and resource allocation for control programs are other effective strategies in curbing mosquito populations.
Affected residents are encouraged to consult local government bulletins, veterinary services, or agricultural extension offices in the Altai region for the most accurate and up-to-date information on mosquito control measures. If available, official websites of the Altai Krai administration or the Egoevsky district would have the latest details on current initiatives.
In their pursuit of a solution, local residents are considering the incorporation of environmental science, health-and-wellness, and fitness-and-exercise strategies, such as the proper elimination of standing water sources, draining low-lying areas, and managing vegetation, to eliminate mosquito resting sites. To protect their livestock, they are also considering the application of biological control methods, like the introduction of predatory species or using Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), a bacteria toxic to mosquito larvae, in the environmental-science domain.
