Swimmer’s Itch
As we enter the warmest time of the summer, the threat for swimmer’s itch will arise. There are many websites that show the swimmer’s itch parasite’s life cycle and it effects, so I won’t cover that part of it. The simplest story is that it comes from snails, and that is the part we can help.
Being a lake mollusk, we can control the snail with the molluscicide copper sulfate (on sale now through July 9th). You can either apply it now as a preventative, or wait until reports of swimmers itch around the lake start to emerge.
To treat for swimmer’s itch, apply copper sulfate at the maximum label rate of 5.3 lbs/acre/ft. The time of day doesn’t matter, but the wind speed does. Apply this or any other pesticide with little to no wind for the best potential outcome. It can take 2 days for the parasite to be killed off in the treated area. There is no guarantee that this will work, unfortunately. A 2nd treatment will likely be needed.
Happy swimming!