2023 Service RequestsTotal service requests this April are near the five year average for April (245 requests compared to an average of 254). However, the request types of insect identification, yellowjackes/wasps and ticks differed greatly from the average. The higher than usual insect identification requests may have resulted from warmer weather after a particularly wet winter and spring, creating optimal conditions…
2023 Mosquito SurveillanceAdult mosquito abundance began to rise in April, which is typical in the spring, but overall numbers remain low. Aedes sierrensis, a mosquito that breeds in treeholes, was first detected this year as an adult during April. It will continue to be present until autumn. Culex erythrothorax has not yet been collected in traps in 2023, although on average it is the most abundant mosquito in April. This…
West Nile Virus SurveillanceThe District’s West Nile virus surveillance program reports several types of positive West Nile virus results, including dead birds, mosquito samples (“pools”), sentinel chickens, and human cases.
Tick SurveillanceThe District collects ticks from around the County and tests for several tick-borne diseases, including Borrelia burgdorferi, which causes Lyme disease, and Borrelia miyamotoi, which causes a similar, less-common tick-borne disease.