Mosquitoes Infiltrate Institute Dormitories
By Brett Altschul
NEWS EDITOR
The cooler weather at the end of this week may end the mosquito problem on campus that has caused students in dormitories to voice complaints and prompted various reactions by the administration.
Several dormitories on the west side of campus, including MacGregor House and Burton-Conner House, have experienced significant problems with mosquitoes this year.
"They're really annoying," said Misha K. Hill '98, a resident of Baker House. "I don't know where they're coming from, and if somebody does, I wish they would do something about it."
The current problem with mosquitoes in the northeast has been severe enough to earn the attention of such magazines as Time and Newsweek.
In one extreme incident, the Campus Police transported a student to and from the Medical Center to be treated for mosquito bites.
No danger of infection
However, there is no danger of any kind of infection from the mosquitoes, according to Charles Lutes of Lutes Environmental, MIT's exterminator for the dormitories.
No harmful germs have been found in this species, the culex mosquito, or northern house mosquito, Lutes said. "The risk is absolutely minimal."
The mosquito problem did not seem too severe, since not that many people complained, but it was clear that a problem existed, said Kenneth Donaghey, the house manager for Burton-Conner.
"I think that three [students] asked me about it," Donaghey
said. After the complaints, Donaghey called Lutes Environmental. "They'd
already gotten calls from other dormitories," Donaghey said. It was more of a city problem than an MIT problem, Donaghey said. "A lot
of mosquitoes just happened to hatch in the area," he said. Lutes said that he is currently researching the problem. After hearing
from MIT, Lutes contacted Cambridge and Massachusetts health agencies and
an entomologist with whom he works. Adequate use of window screens should solve the problem in the
dormitories, Lutes said. In any case, there are too many people living in
the dormitories to use any kind of chemical treatment inside. "There was no spraying in the dormitory," Donaghey said. Outside, chemical solutions are not viable either, Lutes said. The
primary preventative measure is making sure that there is no standing water
where mosquito larvae can develop. The other main action is research, Lutes said. "We took samples of
mosquitoes and eggs, and we're having them analyzed." So far, the city of Cambridge has not officially commented on the
situation, Lutes said. "However, I talked to a person in public health, and
they told me that there is an outbreak all over the city." "I've been doing this with MIT for about five years," Lutes said, "and
I've never seen this problem exactly like this." Apparently, the conditions this year were very favorable for mosquitoes,
Lutes said. "Sometimes, the circumstances just happen that way," he
said. Lutes added that the entire mosquito problem should definitely go away
once the temperature drops below freezing. That will kill mosquitoes both outside and inside, since mosquitoes die
off when there is not enough light during the day, Lutes said.Exterminator researches problem
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