Devina began her career with the District in 2010. As the Office Administrator, she receives incoming calls, greets the public, and assists with many aspects of District business.

Away from work, Devina enjoys traveling, shopping, and spending quality time with family and friends.

Devina's answers to a few questions about working with the District:

What is your favorite part of your job?

It’s going to sound so cliché, but my co-workers are my favorite part of my job. I hear from friends who do not have such great co-workers, and I’m so happy that I have great co-workers. I’ve also been at the District long enough to watch their families grow and their kids get bigger.  It’s a good environment!

What is a common question you get from the public?

Probably ‘How do I find a yellowjacket nest?’ Our staff can treat or remove a nest, but the resident needs to know where the nest is before our staff can help.  The best way to check for a nest is to check during early morning or afternoon, when the yellowjackets are very active flying in and out of their nest.  You can slowly walk around the property to see where they are more active.  And you’ll see them flying more in one area, kind of like how planes take off and land at the airport.  The nest is typically in a hole or other kind of underground space. (learn more on our page about yellowjackets).

Another important thing to know is that some other vector control districts do not treat yellowjacket nests that are on residential properties, but we do.  Our staff can help with in-ground yellowjacket nests anywhere in San Mateo County, regardless of whether it is public or private property.

What is something you learned on the job?

It typically takes at least 7 days for mosquitoes to emerge as adults.  Before this job, I didn’t even know that they breed in standing water!  The water needs to be still, and standing for 7 days or longer.  A lot of people don’t understand the timeframe and might call because they are worried that water standing for just a day or two can breed mosquitoes.

What is a service the District offers that more people should know about?

I like to let people know about our laboratory services, like the insect and tick identification that our laboratory staff can do.  When people call in about biting insects, they are sometimes surprised that we have a full laboratory and scientists who can identify samples.

Our staff can deliver mosquitofish to certain locations to prevent mosquitoes from growing in the water, but residents can also stop by our office in Burlingame to pick up mosquitofish. Devina is the one who preps and distributes fish to people who stop by our office.  One more thing she’d like to add is:

A lot of people don’t know that the tap water throughout most of the County contains chloramines (different than chlorine, but also are used to treat and disinfect the water), so the water needs to be treated before the fish can be added.  Treating the water is key so that the fish don’t die from the chloramines – you can pick up the water treatment at any local fish/pet store. Also, people are definitely surprised at the few number of fish that can eat the mosquito larvae in a large water source – like an abandoned/vacant pool.  We will provide only about 8-10 fish for even a large water source, and the fish will breed until their population is just the right number for that water.

What residents have to say about Devina