The Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District (District) is acknowledging National Mosquito Control Awareness Week by participating in events and spreading the word about the importance of reducing the risk of mosquitoes and mosquito-borne illnesses. District employees will be participating in and presenting information at the following events and meetings during the week of June 16 – 22, 2024.
- Sunday, June 16: The King of the County BBQ Challenge and Music Festival
- Monday, June 17: Countywide Digital Outreach
- Tuesday, June 18: Pleasant Hill Family Library Event
- Wednesday, June 19: Newsletter Wednesday
- Thursday, June 20: El Sobrante Family Library Event
- Friday, June 21: Rossmoor Farmers Market
The important public health messages the District will share during the week include information about the spread of the non-native, invasive mosquitoes that can transmit the causative agents of Zika, dengue fever, and chikungunya across California. In 2022, the District found the invasive mosquito Aedes aegypti in a neighborhood in Martinez, prompting District employees to go door-to-door in an effort to stop the mosquitoes from spreading further in Contra Costa County. Subsequent trapping in 2023 resulted in no more Aedes aegypti being found in that neighborhood; however mosquito experts maintain, that it is not if, but when these mosquitoes will turn up in unexpected areas.
These mosquitoes are very difficult to control and need very little water to survive and reproduce. Female Aedes aegypti mosquitoes lay eggs that can stick to surfaces inside containers that hold small amounts of water in front yards, backyards, and patios. Their eggs are also resistant to drying out and can survive for more than a year.
Due to the difficult nature of controlling invasive mosquitoes, mosquito and vector control districts in California are turning to innovative technologies, such as drones which the District currently uses for mosquito surveillance and control.
Other innovative technologies being used in Southern California include the use of irradiation, which involves sterilizing non-biting male mosquitoes with low levels of X-ray technology. When the sterile male Aedes mosquitoes are released to mate with wild female mosquitoes, the resulting eggs will not hatch.
There is also an innovative technology using Wolbachia, a bacteria naturally found in about 60% of insects around the world. When male Aedes mosquitoes are raised in a lab with a specific type of Wolbachia that they don’t normally have and are then released to mate with wild female Aedes mosquitoes, the resulting eggs don’t hatch.
All of these innovative technologies are designed to control disease-spreading mosquitoes by reducing the number of mosquitoes in local areas. These technologies do not replace traditional control methods and are used as part of an Integrated Vector Management program.
As the District works to protect public health, so can Contra Costa County residents. Take preventative actions against Culex mosquitoes, which can transmit West Nile virus (WNV), the most prevalent and serious disease transmitted by mosquitoes in California. There is no human vaccine for West Nile virus, a disease that can cause debilitating cases of meningitis, encephalitis, and even death. But there is a vaccination for horses and veterinarians recommend horse owners vaccinate their horses to prevent WNV.
Everyone can do their part to help control mosquitoes and prevent mosquito bites:
● Eliminate all sources of standing water on your property, including water in flowerpots, old tires, buckets, pet dishes, and trash cans and scrub containers to remove sticky mosquito eggs.
● Repair leaking faucets and broken sprinklers that can contribute to standing water around your home.
● Clean rain gutters that are clogged with leaves so mosquitoes don’t develop in standing water.
● Install screens on windows and doors and keep them in good repair to keep mosquitoes out of your home.
● Apply insect repellent containing an EPA-registered active ingredient, including DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus repellent, or IR3535, to clothes and exposed skin according to label instructions. It is always important to follow label instructions when applying repellents, especially on children.
● Dress in long sleeves and pants, especially if outside at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes that can spread West Nile virus are most active.
● And report any day-biting mosquitoes to the District.
Contra Costa County residents can report dead birds by phone at (877) WNV-BIRD (968-2473) or online. County residents can also request mosquito service for residential property by calling (925) 685-9301 or online.
Romick in Oakley 