Shoo, mayflies: Clark County Vector Control faces new pest along Sloan Channel

Mark and Cindy Campbell's backyard is adjacent to the Sloan Channel, and it's driving them buggy.

Mark has lived in the home for 27 years, and eight years ago Cindy moved in and transformed the small yard behind their manufactured home into a little Shangri-La, with a quaint lawn and comfortable outdoor seating. Until recently it was a place of respite and relaxation.

"The bugs were so bad we couldn't even go out there," said 7-year-old Ashley Jones, a frequent visitor to the Campbells' home. "They were all over your face, and they'd fly into your ears."

Recent changes to the Sloan Channel had led to an explosion of chironomid midges, small, non-biting insects that have a tendency to fly in annoying clouds. Clark County Vector Control staff members thought they had the bugs under control until reports starting coming in about another bug-pocalypse.

"You can't entertain out here. It's hard to even function with them out here," Mark Campbell said. "Once you've been out here for a while, it always feels like they're on you. You're always brushing them off your neck, whether they're there or not. It's creepy. It's miserable."

As it turned out the midges were under control. The latest tiny annoying invaders were mayflies.

On June 9, the city of North Las Vegas began releasing effluent from its new $224 million water reclamation facility into the Sloan Channel. Instantly it was transformed from a dry channel to a 20-foot-wide, 4- to 6-inch river, which turned out to be the perfect breeding ground for midges. This escalated the conflict with Clark County, which contended the city did not have the right to use the county-owned channel.

"There were probably some midges in the area before, but nothing like this," said Clark County Vector Control supervisor Chris Bramley. "We never really had a problem until the water was there."

Vector Control staff members worked out a plan to keep the midges down that involved scrapping the muck that forms on the bottom of the channel, which acts as a nursery for the young midges, tiny bright red larva called bloodworms and a biological agent that inhibits their growth.

"We've ordered some drag mats specifically designed for this sort of task," Bramley said. "With some biological product we purchased, our initial cost was about $7,000."

Bramley said it could cost from $3,000 to $4,000 each time the channel is treated, which will probably be about every four weeks.

"That's actually very inexpensive for a vector control problem," he said.

The issue of which entity will end up paying for the treatment and other aspects of channel maintenance has become yet another item being negotiated and argued over in court between the city of North Las Vegas and the county.

"Actually, I think that the discussions are going pretty well in that area," said Tom Collins, Clark County Commissioner for District B, which includes the area affected. "I still don't think they should have put (the water treatment facility) up here without working out where the water was going to go to first. But I think we're getting to the point where we'll be working together on this thing."

To the layman, it's difficult to differentiate between midges and mayflies. Both are small, non-biting flying insects that form clouds. Because they don't bite, they don't present a disease risk, but they are annoying.

"I tried to go out there, but I couldn't even mow my little lawn," Cindy Campbell said. "I was in tears when I called the county about it. Our doors and windows are covered with them. We're getting dive bombed by bats going after the bugs."

Mayflies have a different life cycle than midges. Midges live around a week, mayflies just a day. Blood worms are barely mobile while young mayflies, called naiad, can swim well enough to avoid the scrapping that keeps the midges at bay.

"The scrapping won't do a thing to them," Bramley said. "You can't pour a strong insecticide into the channel, because the flow is too strong, and the way they get around. It's not prudent."

Bramley said the best solution would probably be to introduce around 10,000 gambusia affinis, commonly called the Western mosquitofish, into the most problematic section of the channel between Judson Avenue and Lake Mead Boulevard. The tiny fish should eat the larvae of both midges and mayflies.

When asked if he wasn't afraid they were going to get into a "little old lady who swallowed a fly" situation, Bramley expressed confidence that the fish wouldn't create problems.

"We've used them in the valley for about 30 years now," he said. "If anything some will end up downstream and deal with mosquito larvae, too."

Acting North Las Vegas utilities director Reed Scheppmann confirmed that the city has discussed the issue with the county and was prepared to order the fish. He added that the water reclamation facility is now "substantially complete" and is treating 100 percent of the city of North Las Vegas' wastewater.

This means that the water level shouldn't get any higher for the time being.

"I've got no problem with the (wastewater facility). It doesn't smell," Mark Campbell said. "The water's not that big a problem, except for the bugs. If it wasn't for the bugs I wouldn't have any problem with them at all, but this is intolerable."

Residents who live near the channel and have questions or concerns are invited to call Vector Control at 455-7543.

Contact Sunrise/Whitney View reporter F. Andrew Taylor at ataylor@viewnews.com or 380-4532.