County turns to martins to control mosquitoes, West Nile

VALDOSTA - Lowndes County commissioners are turning to nature&#39;s own pest control system to help battle the mosquitoes that can carry West Nile virus. <br> <br> In places where spraying pesticides would be impractical, the county plans to build birdhouses to attract martins, small birds with large appetites for mosquitoes. <br> <br> Fred Deloach is a former chairman of the Lowndes County Commission. He recommends putting several birdhouses designed for martins on county-owned property. He said one martin could eat two thousand mosquitoes per day. <br> <br> Each birdhouse could be put up for less than $300 and house 12 pair of martins. Some say that makes them a cost-effective, no-pollution alternative to spraying chemicals and insecticides. <br> <br> Martins will return to the same nesting site year after year if conditions are right. <br> <br> Lowndes County is in deep south Georgia. The county spent nearly 15-thousand dollars on spraying mosquitoes during a 10-week period last year. Deloach estimated the martin project might cost only 4-thousand dollars. <br> <br> The commissioners agreed to let Deloach begin scouting for appropriate sites. They hope to have the birdhouses in place by February when the first martin scouts begin migrating north. That&#39;s also well before summer when mosquitoes -- and the threat of West Nile -- become a bigger problem.