They're back. And they're hungry.

The wetlands of west Davis County are the breeding grounds for hordes of mosquitoes that hatch in the protected areas, then buzz into nearby neighborhoods to snack on residents, Mosquito Abatement District Manager Gary Hatch said.Hatch said the district has started its summer program of spraying, but the task is daunting. He predicted it will be a tough summer, with plentiful mosquitoes.

Hatch said control efforts are complicated and the days of laying in a stock of DDT at the beginning of summer and spraying everything in sight are long gone.

Federal regulations governing pesticide use are complicated and boost the price; wetland preservation regulations and restrictions on control measures the district can use in the Farmington Bay Wildlife Refuge also hamper their efforts, Hatch said.

And, with a flying range of 10 to 15 miles, a mosquito's range is such that there's little an individual homeowner can do to control the pests, he said.

Citronella candles may keep them away during a backyard barbecue, Hatch said, "if you can stand the smell."

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As for the electronic bug zap-pers that are popular, "they do kill a few. But they also attract them. The joke is the thing to do with a bug zapper is to buy one and give it to your neighbor to use," Hatch said.

The piles of dead bugs that build up under the zappers will contain only about 10 percent mosquitoes, Hatch said, the remainder being moths and nonbiting midges, flying insects that resemble mosquitoes.

"Midges don't bite. Only mosquitoes bite. And only the female mosquitoes bite." Hatch said.

Hatch said mosquitoes are attracted to people by the carbon dioxide in their breath.

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