Attention, tadpole lovers: Those cute little creatures swimming around in that old planter out back may not grow up to be frogs.

Unfortunately, a mistaken belief that they’re contributing to the health of the local amphibian population leads many local residents to inadvertently provide breeding grounds for the mosquito population.

“They all pretty much look like little, tiny tadpoles” is how Tammy Hamilton, coordinator of Crawford County’s West Nile Virus Control Program, describes mosquito larvae. “Little kids call them ‘wigglers’ or ‘tumblers.’ They’re airbreathers, so they always come to the top — they have a siphon they breathe out of when they come to the top.”

Unfortunately, youngsters aren’t the only ones charmed by the larvae. “People actually try to nurture them, thinking they’re saving tadpoles,” she added, noting that when the program sponsored an identification display at the Crawford County Fair, less than 1 percent of the people who stopped by knew what a mosquito larvae looks like.

Time to fight mosquitos is now

In 2007, a cold spring and dry summer kept mosquitos from breeding at average levels. However, this year the county has experienced a wet spring, which means Hamilton is anticipating a busy mosquito season. “We’re trying to get a jump on the larvaciding,” she said during a recent interview, noting that eliminating breeding areas is considerably easier than eradicating adults. “You can treat so much more in the water to eliminate breeding areas than you can in the air.”

Eliminating those breeding areas is something every county resident can do — starting now.

Crawford County, according to Hamilton, is home to 72 different varieties of mosquitos. But while only about 26 or those varieties carry the West Nile virus, a great majority of the mosquitos testing positive got their start in life in artificial containers.

“Eliminating standing water around your buildings is very important in breaking the transmission cycle,” she said, noting that about 90 percent of the complaints she receives during mosquito season come from people who have at least one breeding ground in their yard.

The first step is conducting a property inspection, identifying and cleaning up anything that can or does hold standing water. That includes gutters, birdbaths and even pet bowls, as well as pots, jars, cans, barrels and, of course, tires. Depending on the temperature, one tire can produce 10,000 mosquitos in a week — making tires a major breeding ground for mosquitos in general and those with the potential of carrying the West Nile virus in particular.

Urging citizens to check for containers or trash in places that may be hard to see, including under bushes and buildings, the federal government’s Centers for Disease Control recommends emptying water from flower pots, pet food and water dishes, birdbaths, swimming pool covers, buckets, barrels and cans at least once or twice weekly.

Dumping out standing water is the easiest solution, but commercial products are also available for dealing with water that can’t be dumped.

Mosquito dunk, for example, is an animal-safe product designed to treat drinking dishes for everything from dogs to horses and cows as well as lakes and fish ponds. “It would even work to toss it up into a gutter you can’t get to,” Hamilton said.

For more serious infestations, a granular application is now available. For information, call Hamilton at 724-7394.