Mystery surrounds reports that swarms of mosquitoes have made an unwelcome appearance at the Airport.

?My inside thigh and knee and my arms are badly bitten up. I?ve got about 30 bites all over my body,? said one worker who did not want to be named. The man said that other staff had also been bitten by the insects.

?It?s an ideal breeding ground because when it rains it doesn?t go anywhere.?

Airport authorities contacted the Health Department and were told that they planned to address the infestation.

When contacted David Kendell, head of the Government Pest Control Department, said that the reports were checked out and no mosquitoes were discovered.

?I sent my foreman down there and the reports are unfounded. I think it?s a hoax,? Mr. Kendell said. We checked the whole area and there?s no mosquitoes that we can find. And we are going back tomorrow because we routinely collect mosquito traps.?

Last week, he said, a female mosquito was discovered in one of the traps.

Mr. Kendell said he was ?very surprised? at the report from the Airport and the department responded almost immediately.

?We have mosquitoes in a lot of other parts of the Island right now but not at the Airport,? Mr. Kendell continued.

?We?ve been bit,? insisted the worker. ?Obviously the mere fact that you are investigating has embarrassed them.?

The workers first noticed that they had been bitten after performing security detail on the airplanes on Wednesday.

?I know that someone complained that they had been bitten by mosquitoes but we haven?t found any mass infestations of mosquitoes but we are doing what we can,? said Airport general manager James Howes.

?Naturally we want to take care of the health and comfort of all the workers and the customers at the Airport so we have reported it. It appears to be an isolated incident at this time.?

Mr. Howes went on to say that, as with airports around the world, great care is taken to prevent standing water or ?ponding? on the airport grounds and that the drainage system at the airport was quite good. The nearest most ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes would be the landfill near the airport. The Minister of the Works and Engineering Department, which is responsible for the landfill, could not be contacted before Press time.