If you saw tonite's story you saw that most-clever-mosquito-trap that the guys and gals at Multnomah County Vector Control use to catch the little besky buggers ('little pesky buggers'? I sound like my grandma).

The secret bait?

Dry ice.

But here's the thing.. once the dry ice lures them in by releasing the CO2 that they love, you need a secondary method to catch/contain them. VC (Vector Control) uses a bucket right below the dry ice that has a light to draw them in and a fan that sucks them down into a net. A few C or D sized batteries to run the show and poof.. no more irritating mosquitoes. Of course, the fan has to keep running or else they'd fly out but you get the idea.

And as for the way mosquitoes like to sneak into your home... screen windows!! Case in point, my girlfriend Lisa has these two cats who basically play Cirque Du Soliel on her window screens. They have made holes big enough for mosquitoes to squeeze through, and while I haven't been bit at her house or ever seen one inside... it is the trusty screen that allows many a bloodthirsty beastie into all of our homes to feed on us. And by the way, while I tell you how grossed out I am by it, the video I posted a while ago (you tube..) that some of you checked out.... did I tell you that the infestation comes from mosquitoes? Yup. Yet another reason I should buy stock in DEET. Or the makers of that lemon eucalyptus oil. Anyone tried that? A friend told me today it works great for him.

Once again, here's the number to call if you live in Multnomah county and spot a dead bird that is basically fresh (eww) and is a Corvid (i.e. crow, scrub jay): 503.988.3464.

Picture time!! Since we're talking mosquitoes I thought I'd share this picture (which is ridiculously blurry) of a thing someone sent me in the mail. It is a typewritten note from about three years ago that says the mosquito virus is in Oregon and that I should take caution. And then the sender squashed a mosquito and taped it to a piece of paper and mailed it to me.

And then here is a photo from Joe (Hi Joe!). Speaking of cats, his cats have great personalities. This one is the size of a 3rd grader. Her name is Chloe and she would have a BMI of at least 30 ((which ties into my previous post)).

And yes, for those of you who emailed me ((Joe, Greg, etc.)) Russ is on vacation which is why I'm working this nutty shift. It ends for me next week and then things are back to normal. :-)

You know the drill.. feel free to email!! sstricklen@kgw.com