Mosquitoes ATTACK Phoenix over the Memorial Day Weekend Bringing the West Nile Virus!

Public service announcement from Invader Pest Management

Please wear mosquito repellant if spending any time outside, especially on the weekends when people tend to play outside a lot.

Below is a blurb from the Maricopa County Vector Control that they will be announcing that West Nile Virus (WNV) has been detected in our mosquitoes this year.  With the cooler weather this year more people will be outside having picnics, enjoying their pools, barbequing, etc…  Telling people the importance of using mosquito control while outside on weekends.  There were even stories on the TV news recently about the outbreak of mosquitoes in the north west valley. So even though the confirmed cases of WNV are in Gilbert, we all should take preventative actions and protect ourselves from attack of Mosquitoes!

West Nile Virus Update

West Nile Virus (WNV) has re-emerged just in time for the Memorial Day weekend.

Maricopa County Vector Control (MCVC) is reporting the first WNV positive result for 2010 in a mosquito pool collected this week in the Gilbert area.  The pool tested positive on RAMP assay and was confirmed by PCR at the AZ State Lab.

Maricopa County will be issuing a press release today or tomorrow.

The information below outlines Invader Pest Management’s Mosquito Control Program.

What You Can Do to Help Fight Mosquitoes

• Empty standing water in old tires, cemetery urns, garbage cans, buckets, plastic covers, toys, or any other container where mosquito larva and pupa live.
• Empty and change the water in bird baths, fountains, wading pools, rain barrels, and potted plant trays at least once a week if not more often.
• Check for irrigation leaks, keep irrigation valve boxes dry, maintain proper water cycles that don’t over water and cause standing water.
• Make sure landscaping has proper grading to avoid standing water.
• Drain or fill temporary pools with dirt.
• Keep swimming pools, fountains, treated and circulating. Keep rain gutters unclogged.
• Floor drains, bathtub, shower, and sinks should have water regularly ran through to exchange water in pipe.
• Don’t leave dishes, coffee or any unfinished beverages that could create potential breeding site.
• Make sure window and door screens are “bug tight.”
• Replace your outdoor lights with yellow “bug” lights.
• Contact Invader Pest Management for any questions about mosquitoes and their control.

Mosquito Control Methods 

An IPM approach includes surveillance, source reduction, larviciding and adulticiding to control mosquito populations.

• Surveillance –   Reporting of mosquito sites, biting, inspection and source location is first step.
• Source Reduction – Controlling water levels – The most important step is to eliminate potential breeding habitats for mosquitoes. Mosquitoes can breed in any puddle that lasts more than 4 days.
• Larviciding –
  • Target larvae – Both chemical and biological measures may be employed to kill immature mosquitoes during larval stages. Larvicides target larvae in the breeding habitat before they can mature into adult mosquitoes and disperse.
  • Mineral oils and other materials form a thin film on the surface of the water which cause larvae, pupae and emerging adults to drown.
• Adulticiding – Pesticides registered for this use may be undertaken to combat an outbreak of mosquitoes in a community.

Also, Rabies so far this year is not as prevalent as last year, however we have had a number of confirmed cases this year and mostly with dogs coming in contact with skunks – not only could rabies be a problem, but the whole ordeal could be a smelly situation! The information below has specifics on rabies cases so far this year.

Lab Confirmed Rabies Positive Animals (includes AZ State Health Lab & USDA testing)

• CDC performs variant testing on domestic and wild animals that are not the usual reservoirs for rabies.
• The javelina from Pima County and the coati from Pinal County were found to be infected with the Arizona grey fox variant.

Exposures to Lab Confirmed Rabid Animals

 Rabies by Month

Statistics are provisional due to USDA direct rapid immunohistochemical test (dRIT) testing and may be updated retrospectively due to reporting delays.

Tagged as: Mosquito Control Methods, Pest, pests, phoenix pest control, rabies in Arizona