News Briefs
August 14, 2015
IN THIS ISSUE...

Jobs

Interested in a career in mosquito and vector control? Check out the MVCAC Job Board at www.mvcac.org

 

Have a Job or RFP to post to MVCAC.org?  

Requests to post job listings (no more than 500 words in length) should be submitted to the webmaster at kandosca@amgroup.us.

 
Do you have important news to share about your district or mosquito and vector issues?

If you would like your news to be included in the MVCAC News Briefs, please send press releases and/or links to relevant news articles to mvcac@mvcac.org
Mailing Address:
1 Capitol Mall
Suite 800
Sacramento, CA 95814

Call for Proceedings Papers

Click here to view the guidelines for contributions

 

It is time to begin preparation of the Proceedings and Papers of the 83rd annual conference of the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California. There were many excellent presentations at the annual meeting in January in Monterey, and I am hopeful that the authors will choose to submit their presentations for publication in the Proceedings. Attached to this e-mail are the guidelines for submitting manuscripts; please read and follow these instructions in preparing your papers. Manuscripts should be submitted electronically and simultaneously to me (janwash@berkeley.edu) and Rachel Hickerson (RHickerson@amgroup.us). 

 

The deadline for manuscript submission has been extended to August 28th.

MVCAC Summer Meeting Minutes and Reports
The MVCAC Summer Meeting minutes and post meeting reports will be posted on the agendas and minutes page on mvcac.org later today.  

Thank you!

MVCAC Fall Meeting

October 29 and 30th, 2015

(Trustee session on October 28th in the afternoon)

Embassy Suites San Diego
601 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92101

 

Rooms:
Click here to book a room
or call 619-239-2400
Rate $142, this rate is "prevailing federal per diem" and subject to change.


 

Click here to view the meeting schedule

 

For more information about this meeting, please click here

 

**Please note: This is the first meeting to use the new policy of a first night's deposit taken at time of reservation as well.

MVCAC Corporate Member Fiscal Status Reports

 

Note: Please disregard the message below if you have already submitted your fiscal status report, or if you have been in touch with MVCAC staff regarding your fiscal status report.


 

New this year, we are collecting all fiscal status information online through the MVCAC member portal.  Instructions on how to login to your district's portal account are below.  Once this updated fiscal information is received, we will send you your 2015-16 dues invoice.

  1. Login using your district login information.  This is the main login that was provided to managers a couple of months ago, if you need it resent please email us at mvcac@mvcac.org.
  2. Once logged in, please click the link titled: "Create Corporate Members Fiscal Status Report 2015-2016"
  3. Enter the information requested: Total Actual Expenditures, Capital/Fixed Asset Expenditures, Operational Expenditures, and your name.
  4. You will then see a confirmation page, please review the information you entered and then click "Save Changes"
  5. After clicking "Save Changes" you should receive a confirmation email.  A dues invoice will be mailed to you by the MVCAC staff shortly after you submit your information.

We know many districts have not closed their books yet, so please submit your fiscal status reports when you are able.  We're hoping to have all dues payments received by September 1, 2015.
 

Please feel free to contact the office if you have any questions or if you need any assistance logging in to or navigating the portal.  Thank you for supporting MVCAC!
AMCA YP Webinar Invitation - Mosquito Mythbusting
AMCA YP Webinar -Mosquito Mythbusting
Thursday, August 20th, 2015; 3:00 PM EST 

Join us in celebrating World Mosquito Day (Aug. 20) by attending the next YP webinar, "Mosquito Mythbusting" presented by Dr. Stan Cope, AMCA President-Elect, on Thursday, August 20 th at 3 PM EST. If you work with mosquitoes, no doubt you've had to quash rumors and dispense proper information about them to your friends, family, and the public. Most people encounter mosquitoes in their day to day lives, but myths about these pests abound. Which are true and which aren't? Dr. Cope will present the most commonly held beliefs about mosquitoes and the truth behind them - when you know what preconceived notions your friends, families, customers or constituents may have, education efforts are much more effective. And why has August 20 th been declared World Mosquito Day? You'll learn that at the webinar, too! 

This presentation will last ~45 minutes followed by a Q&A session with audience members.

Intended audience:
Anyone in the mosquito control industry or related field including (but not limited to) students, mosquito control employees, industry employees, and post docs. You do NOT have to be an AMCA or YP member to attend the webinar! Please forward this webinar registration link to anyone who may be interested.  

If you have any questions please email AMCAYPs@gmail.com or post in our Facebook group.
 
You will receive an email with instructions on how to join the webinar shortly after registering. Registrants will also receive email reminders before the webinar.
  • Video can be streamed using a computer or an iPad, Android tablet, or iPhone using the AnyMeeting app found in the app store for your mobile device.
  • Sound will play through computer or device speakers. Alternatively, you can use a phone to call in for audio (landline recommended).
West Nile virus - 2 more Human Cases Confirmed in Ontario, Chino
The West Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District has received confirmation that 2 more human West Nile virus infections with asymptomatic conditions have been confirmed within the District boundaries (Ontario and Chino). This brings the known total to 3 so far this year. The District's new in-house testing facilities have also confirmed 81 mosquito samples positive for the virus as of August 10. These numbers already exceeded last year's totals. 

Read more
Biological Control Escalates Mosquito Battle
Clovis, Calif. (KFSN) - Controlling the spread of a mosquito which can carry yellow fever and dengue has been very difficult. The mosquito can now be found in Fresno, Clovis and Madera, so the fight has escalated to a new level of biological control.

Those pesky mosquitoes won't let up. Denise Hensley and her husband always put on repellent when they go outside to keep the bugs away. Hensley said, "Last year and the year before it seems like it was a lot of mosquito bites."

Some 6,000 mosquitoes were unleashed into a Clovis neighborhood near Magnolia and Scott. An unpleasant thought until you consider they're all male. Only the females bite because they need your blood to produce eggs.

Read more
Clearlake Keys Property Owners Association President Joe Stella oversees bringing protective booms out of storage ahead of placing them in Clear Lake at the mouth of the association's channels in Clearlake Oaks, Calif., in early July 2015. Photo courtesy of Leroy Dubrall.
Lake County Vector Control Director Jamie Scott said the Keys boom project has had an added benefit: It has helped cut down on mosquito activity.

She said the wind pushed the algae into the Keys' channels, where it got very warm.

"Not all algae creates mosquito habitats," but she said that was the case in the Keys.

Before the boom project, the algae - in particular, a type called lyngbya - was getting pushed up into the channels, where it was dying and decaying. Scott explained that the decomposition process pulled the oxygen from the water, which killed off the predators that kept the mosquitoes in check.

Scott said that, over the years, Vector Control has rarely detected significant numbers of mosquitoes in the Clearlake Keys.

However, she said that in 2012 her staff detected "extraordinary numbers" of immature and Culex mosquitoes in the Clearlake Keys. 

High Tech Hope for Repelling Mosquitoes
James Yang
In Alaska, where I grew up, mosquitoes outnumber people some  24 million to one. That makes it a great place to test the very latest in mosquito shields.

On a recent trip home, I tried the newest products on the market: kid-safe bands treated with plant oils, fans with the repellent built in, chemically treated clothing and good old bug spray. I also tried a high-tech patch that is not set to be released until next year.

What I found was this: All of the current products offered varying levels of protection, but nothing worked as well as traditional chemical repellent. Nothing, that is, until I tested the patch, which could very well remove humans from the mosquito food chain for good.
 
West Nile Virus Dead Bird Testing and Hotline

West Nile virus dead bird testing and the WNV Dead Bird Hotline began on April 15, 2015. 

 

Live calls are being answered (1-877-WNV-BIRD) and online reports are being responded to (www.westnile.ca.gov). 

 

Agencies can bypass the message options by calling the agency line at (510-412-4601). This will connect you to the hotline operators. If you need to enter a dead bird report and obtain a dead bird number, please use the Gateway.