Mosquitoes can be incredibly persistent and annoying for all of us. We want to share with you the experiences and advice of our colleague Milenko, who despite his knowledge and experience, still struggles with mosquitoes.
Winter, a small place in Vojvodina. The rhythm of life? There is none. If you pause for a moment, you can feel melancholy and mild depression. The blessed, rich plain offers so much. Everything thrives in this expanse.
I love to see the fields in the area, crisscrossed by canals, country roads, and tree lines. It’s beautiful, even in winter.
Everything is here with some purpose; neither the canals nor the tree lines are here by accident.
The tree lines neatly calm the northern wind, which sweeps the fields and prevents snow from creating drifts.
If it weren’t for those canals, ditches, drainage systems, or whatever you call them, that fertile land wouldn't be able to absorb all that water; the area would be flooded. It would no longer be an area but a swamp. That’s exactly why they are here, to channel the water and direct it where it’s needed.
In every street in the village, there is a canal; some of them only collect rainwater and are full only when it rains, while in others, there is almost always water. We have planned all this well, but...
I stop on the little bridge at the entrance to the place, looking at the water; the smell is a bit unpleasant, actually unbearable, incredibly, the air is sharp, the temperature is below zero, ice is forming along the banks of the canal, and the smell is horrific. I can only imagine how this smells in the summer. I will walk a bit along the canal, I am curious. A rusty metal barrel, a plastic bucket, a large tractor tire, a bicycle frame, remains of some dead animal, a black bag of garbage (unknown contents). It’s not nice, not even in winter.
Just a few dozen meters from the main road, I find the source of the stench, the local butcher's slaughterhouse, which empties into the canal, and everything that cannot be used from the meat, blood, and entrails, detergent and grease, goes into the canal with the washing. I go further; that’s surely it, but there might be something else. I see a little bridge; I will cross it and go down the street to the car, and right by the bridge from the last yard of the neighboring house, there is manure with food scraps from the household, almost blocking the canal, it’s still warm, steaming.
The street canal has little water, it’s frozen; I walk, noticing that in one part something is evaporating, there is no ice, something is leaking through a pipe; I would say it’s either an overflow from a septic tank or drainage from the kitchen, washing machine, or something similar.
A ugly picture of a beautiful place.
Do what is in your power.
Organically loaded water is ideal for the development of mosquitoes from the genus Culex, those are the mosquitoes that buzz around your head and keep you awake at night.
Canals must be flowing, clean so that water does not accumulate. Septic tanks must be closed, and a mesh must be placed on the vent. Gutters on houses should be checked and cleaned at least once a year if necessary.
Clean your yard, throw away old buckets, worn-out tires, rusty cans, old barrels, ...
Milenko Radosavljević
