In an effort to comply with the March 16th, 2020 public health
order, we will be reducing staffing and limiting our operations
to essential functions only. Resident service requests are
suspended at this time, and the District office is closed to the
public.
San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District is taking
proactive measures to protect its staff and residents by taking
action to slow the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
This table contains the number of each type of service request in
March 2020 compared to the five-year average in March. Total
service requests are lower this March compared to the five-year
average. This variance is largely because the District pared back
operations, including service requests, in observance of the
county and state-wide shelter-in-place orders issued in
mid-March.
The following table and graph show the average number of
mosquitoes collected per CO2 trap per night during the
month of March compared to the five-year average for the six most
common mosquito species in San Mateo County. Counts for all
species are averaging below five per trap night, which is
consistent with the five-year average. The numbers are expected
to remain low until after spring rains.
Surveillance for mosquito larvae is a priority in late winter and
early spring, as seasonal water sources fill with rain water. A
technician uses a dipper to take a sample of the water and
visually inspects it for mosquito larvae. If larvae are present,
the technician transports the sample to the laboratory for counts
and identification. This March, 109 larval samples were submitted
to the laboratory. The most frequently occurring species in
larval samples was Culiseta incidens, the cool weather
mosquito, present in 48 of the 109 samples.
This table contains the number of each type of service request in
February 2020 compared to the four-year average in February.
Total service requests are somewhat higher this February than the
four-year average. This variance is largely because of slightly
higher numbers of mosquito, yellow jacket, and mosquito fish
requests, perhaps because of early spring-like temperatures. The
“Other” category of requests in February included as variety of
service calls, including complaints about crane flies, broken
pipes, ticks, bees and flies.
