Mosquito Threats on the Rise and Californians are Nurturing the Threat
Mosquito Awareness Week educates California residents on preventing mosquito-borne viruses
SACRAMENTO, APRIL 13, 2018 – There has been a steep rise in detections of invasive mosquito species in California, according to the California Department of Public Health, which increases the risk of local transmission of imported diseases.
On Thursday, April 26th, 2018, San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District will hold an open house at its office at 1351 Rollins Rd. in Burlingame from 4pm until 7pm to celebrate Mosquito Awareness Week. Visitors will have the opportunity to meet the staff and tour the laboratory, as well as participate in a variety of demonstrations, exhibits, and activities. No RSVP is required for this event.
You may have heard their cries at dusk. Coyotes are one of the most common urban carnivores in San Mateo County and important predators of rodents. Coyotes also help control deer and Canada geese, which can be very destructive to gardens and grassy areas, by preying on their young and slowing their population growth. There is also evidence that coyotes may directly compete with raccoons, skunks and opossums which helps to reduce the numbers of these urban carnivores as well. That being said, coyotes can be a challenge to live with.
During March, laboratory staff continued winter surveillance for adult Ixodes pacificus (Western black-legged ticks). Ticks are collected by dragging a 1 meter square piece of white flannel over the vegetation alongside trails. Laboratory staff have begun testing collected Ixodes pacificus ticks for the presence of bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi, Borrelia miyamotoi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum. Parks that were surveyed in March were Año Nuevo and Memorial Park near Pescadero, and Big Canyon Park and Eaton Park in San Carlos.
West Nile virus season begins in California in mid-April. The District protects residents from this mosquito-borne disease with control that targets mosquitoes in the larval stage, mosquito population monitoring, disease surveillance and public education. The laboratory staff is prepared to conduct disease surveillance in three main ways:
