January 2023 Newsletter

Flooding or standing water on your property? Keep mosquitoes in mind!

Photograph focused on a round tray partially filled with water. There are green leaves in the foreground. — Even small amounts of water can breed mosquitoes! Dump out all standing water.

We hope that you and your family are safe as we weather these historic rain storms. Please keep in mind that mosquitoes can breed year-round, even when it is cool and rainy. Please check around your yard and home for any containers holding water - dump out standing water to prevent mosquito breeding. Check crawlspaces for standing water - water under a house can breed thousands of mosquitoes.

We're here to help! Please report water that continues to stand 2 weeks or longer after a storm, and always report mosquitoes. One of our certified vector control technicians will assess the water to determine if mosquitoes are breeding. Submit a report or service request using our online form or by calling 650-344-8592.

Tell a friend or neighbor

Red squirrel with long tufts of hair on ears, facing the camera with its mouth open, looking surprised — Your friend, shocked, when you tell them about all the great District services their tax dollars cover.

Friends and neighbors are the the most common way for residents to hear about the District and the services we offer. Can you help us get the word out? Consider forwarding this newsletter to someone who also lives in San Mateo County to let them know about the many services covered by their taxes.

If you have additional ideas on how to get the word out about the District, our Public Health Education and Outreach Officer would love to hear from you. Always feel free to email her at rcurtis@smcmvcd.org or call 650-344-8592.

Front view of a Norway rat, which has a long brown body with pink ears and feet, and a brown tail that is shorter than its body.

Rodents

With colder weather, some uninvited guests may be trying to make their home in your home. Did you know the District offers no-charge rodent inspections? Our certified technicians can conduct a comprehensive exterior inspection and generate a custom report with details of how to keep rats and mice from entering your house.

Ants

It seems like everyone has ants this year! Ants are common household pests. They don’t carry disease, but can be annoying. If you need help controlling ants, contact us for help identifying your ants and the best approach based on species.

Person in tan uniform walking away from the camera down a wooded trail. The person is holding out a stick that has a square white cloth about 3ft tall by 3ft wide on it. The cloth is being dragged over the vegetation along the edge of the trail.

Study of ticks on residential properties

District laboratory staff are conducting a study to assess tick presence on residential properties in the County. Information will be used to develop more targeted outreach materials to address knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding ticks and tick-borne diseases in the County. Hillsborough is the city of focus in early 2024. If you live in Hillsborough (or anywhere else in the County!) and would like our staff to visit to check for ticks, please read more here.

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Request Service

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Website Accessibility Policy

San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District is fully committed to providing accessible facilities, elements and channels of communication to all members of the public. As part of this commitment, San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District has a policy of providing an accessible website compatible with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) and commercial screen reading software. All features of the website are coded to allow individuals with vision and other impairments to understand and use the website to the same degree as someone without disabilities. We welcome feedback and can often resolve issues in a timely manner if they arise.

If you need any special assistance or accommodations:

Call us at 6503448592

Ongoing Compliance Information

Compliance Officer

San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District has designated a compliance officer for website disability-related accommodations. The compliance officer has received training in website accessibility and updates the site in accordance with those best practices. Contact our accessibility officer to report an issue.

Compliance Procedures and Reports

In addition to testing with users with a wide range of disabilities and coding our website to WCAG standards, San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District regularly scans its website to ensure ongoing compliance, and makes timely changes to any inaccessible changes, if any are found.

Linked Documents and Third Parties

Please note that this site may link out to third-party websites, such as state or federal agencies, that do not have accessible content. This site may also include documents provided by third parties included in our agenda packets, for example. While we cannot control the accessibility of content provided by third parties, we are happy to assist any member of the public with reading and accessing content on our site.

See an opportunity for us to improve? Please contact our accessibility officer or call us at 6503448592.

Report a Website Accessibility Issue

We are committed to your ability to access all content, and we will respond to all requests as soon as possible.