With summer around the corner, one way for newspapers to attract readers’ eyes --- while performing a public service --- is via a tally of top mosquito cities and how to cope with the stinging insects, observes Grumpy Editor.
Orkin, the pest control company, puts Atlanta in the top spot based on the number of mosquito treatments in the past year.
Filling out the top 10 are Dallas-Fort Worth, New York, Washington, Chicago, St. Louis, Houston, Miami-Fort Lauderdale, Kansas City and Charlotte, N.C.
Chelle Hartzer, Orkin entomologist, says "mosquitoes can transmit several diseases to humans including Zika virus, West Nile virus and several kinds of encephalitis. Each of these mosquito-borne diseases may have serious side effects."
Hartzer points out mosquitoes are able to breed in an inch of standing water, so it is best to remove any object that has the potential to hold water. That includes cleaning gutters to avoid buildup of rainwater. Water in containers such as pet water bowls, vases and bird baths, should be replaced every few days.
Adult mosquitoes like to rest in dark areas with high humidity, adds Hartzer. Trimming shrubbery and collecting leaves can prevent lingering mosquitoes.
IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…
SAILORS LEARN TO ‘FLY’ HOVERCRAFT. The jargon is like flight training. Sailors train for months to learn how to “fly” hovercraft. Behind the controls is the “pilot,” called “craftmaster.” Others in the crew of five: engineer, navigator, loadmaster and deck engineer. The Navy requires them to get quarterly and annual certifications and maintain a set number of "flight hours."
KELLOGG SHUTS OPERATIONS IN VENEZUELA . Kellogg Co., citing the deterioration of a country in the midst of an economic meltdown, says it is closing operations that employ 400 workers who produced the majority of the breakfast cereal consumed by Venezuelans.
LOOK FOR ADDED WALL STREET JOURNAL SECTION. The Wall Street Journal launches Exchange on June 2. Journal editor-in-chief Gerard Baker says the “section will offer a lively and robust report on the week’s business news, featuring the behind-the-scenes narratives, colorful characters and incisive commentary.”
LUXURY REAL ESTATE HOT SPOT. The hottest market in the world for luxury real estate is Victoria, British Columbia, reports Bloomberg, citing “thanks to Chinese and U.S. buyers, the provincial capital of 85,000 off Canada’s Pacific Coast shot to the top of the ‘luxury thermometer’ in the latest annual report from Christie’s International Real Estate.”
DATA SCIENTISTS GAIN ATTENTION. Job postings for data scientists rises 75 percent from January 2015 to January 2018 at Indeed.com, while job searches for data scientist roles increase 65 percent. A growing specialty is “sentiment analysis,” or finding a way to quantify how many tweets are trashing a company or praising it.
TRUMP DONATES FIRST QUARTER SALARY TO V.A. President Donald Trump is donating his 2018 first quarter salary to the Department of Veterans Affairs in support of caregiver programs, reveals White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
