Our friends Lillis and Bill Raboin live for much of the year in a house on Muskellunge Lake in Eagle River, Wisconsin. For the past several years we have visited them in the spring soon after the ice has left the lake, and after they come back from a winter’s sojourn near some of their grandchildren in the San Francisco Bay Area. We always enjoy spending time with them, going for walks through the woods, plying the waters of the lake on their pontoon boat, fishing from their dock and going out for Northwood’s fare at a local bar. Most years the weather has been good and we have spent much of our time out of doors. But this year was different. It was “the year of the mosquito!” It was a cruel irony for our friends and others living “up north,” who had endured the worst winter in almost 40 years, stuck in their cabins by the interminable snow and cold. Now they were stuck inside, but it was a tiny little insect that was responsible—the dreaded mosquito! They were everywhere and it was almost impossible to stay outside without getting bitten.
Usually when we arrive we park our car and go directly in using their front door. But this year it was different. They shunted us to the back door, which has a small vestibule. We entered through the first door, careful to close it behind us, and only then would we open the door to their kitchen. The process was reversed on the way out in an effort to keep the mosquitos out of their house. We did go out, but only with liberal doses of mosquito repellent on our exposed skin. Our friend Lillis wore a hat steeped in repellent for her walks in the woods.
We spent much of our time indoors or on the lake where the mosquito population is relatively low. It occurred to us that northern Wisconsin was in the grip of a mosquito alert, and thus was born the “Raboin Mosquito Index” to alert people to the danger and help them make plans, especially those of us coming up from Illinois. Below is the index we developed.
Raboin Mosquito Index
Much analytical work, as well as some general empirical data went into the development of the index. Like the forest fire danger level, there are five levels, ranging from low to extreme with appropriate colors, with green being the lowest and red the highest. It was definitely a Red Alert during our visit.
So the next time you go “up north,” make sure to check the Raboin mosquito index before you leave so you will be prepared, and maybe make other plans if the index is in the orange or red zone.
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