May 2022 Newsletter

It's tick season (again)!

In January, we reminded you that it was peak season for adult western black-legged ticks. But where did all those adults come from? Most ticks go through four life stages: egg, six-legged larva, eight-legged nymph, and adult. The adult ticks that peak in the winter were nymphs in the previous summer. Nymphs are most active in spring and early summer, and these tiny ticks pose a greater risk of transmitting disease than adult ticks. Nymphs are noticeably smaller than adults, so you need to be extra thorough when checking for ticks for the next few months. Learn all about how to prevent tick bites HERE.

Learn more about tick life cycles and hosts HERE.

Photograph of a light colored muffin with poppyseeds. There are 5 small brown nymphal ticks on the muffin. The ticks are about the size of a poppyseed. The image is meant to show how small nymphal ticks are. — Can you spot the 5 tick nymphs on this muffin? The CDC published this photograph a few years ago to show people just how tiny nymphs are! Be sure to do a thorough tick check after being outdoors!

We are on Simplicity!

The District recently joined the Simplicity app network. This is one convenient app to get all your city/town and District-related news. The County and several cities and towns throughout San Mateo County will also be sharing news and updates via the app. Visit Google Play or the App Store to download to your device for important updates. Learn more about the app at: https://onesimplicity.com/residents/

Black icon of a bird lying on its back with feet in the air (meant to represent a dead bird)

West Nile Virus Dead Bird Hotline

The California WNV & Dead Bird Call Center (877-WNV-BIRD; 877-968-2473) is live for summer 2022. Public online reporting at https://westnile.ca.gov/ will also continue.

A top-down view of a yellowjacket. The insect has two black antenna, a body with yellow and black stripes, 6 yellow legs, and two light colored wings.

Yellowjackets and Wasps

During the summer months, the District receives numerous calls regarding yellowjackets and paper wasps. These social wasps both have yellow and black markings and are common in San Mateo County, but they have important behavioral differences.

2022 Service Requests

The most common service requests in April were for mosquito activity, rodent inspections, and yellowjacket nest treatments.

2022 Mosquito Surveillance

Although Culex pipiens has dropped in abundance after unusually high numbers in February associated with a sewer plant, counts of other species are beginning to rise, as expected in spring. Overall numbers remain low, with fewer than five per trap of any species. Aedes sierrensis, a tree-hole breeding species, was detected for the first time this year in March. Adult Aedes sierrensis will remain present through the summer, with a peak typically in April.

Board Meeting 6pm

To observe the meeting, open the Agenda file and click on the Zoom link on the first page.

Website Accesibilty Policy San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District

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 (650) 344-8592

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. In our ongoing commitment to transparency, we make the last three months' reports available to the public.

August 2021 Website Accessibility Compliance Report

July 2021 Website Accessibility Compliance Report

June 2021 Website Accessibility Compliance Report

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 (650) 344-8592.

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.