MOSQUITO BYTES NEWSLETTER

A mosquito rests on ice
SHOULD I WORRY ABOUT MOSQUITOES IN THE WINTERTIME?
Isn't it too cold for the insects?
Mosquitoes are a year-round problem in Contra Costa County.

Per Steve Schutz, Ph.D., scientific program manager and entomologist, "In the Bay Area we do see some level of mosquito activity year-round, and there are a few species that are primarily active during the winter (the risk of virus transmission at this time is very low) and early spring. Although temperatures may fall below freezing outside, sheltered locations like underground drains may stay much warmer. 

Also, although some of Contra Costa County's 23 mosquito species become inactive ('hibernate') during the winter, they still occasionally emerge from their hiding places on warm days. Scientists believe West Nile virus re-emerges each year when mosquitoes infected during the previous season leave their hiding places in the spring to re-initiate the transmission cycle."

A tick engorges on blood from a man's arm
14 THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT TICKS
Test your knowledge about ticks
  1. Ticks surpass all of the arthropods in the number and variety of diseases they can transmit to domestic animals. Only mosquitoes transmit more diseases to humans.
  2. Ticks are small arachnids. Although they're commonly mistaken as insects, they only have one body part and eight legs.
  3. Ticks are important vectors (animals or insects that can cause discomfort or transmit disease) of a number of diseases, including Lyme disease.
  4. Ticks are often found in tall grass and shrubs. They climb to the tips of the plants, wait, and then attach themselves to an animal or person as they brush by them.
  5. Physical contact is the only method of transportation for ticks. They do not jump nor fly, although they may drop from their perches and fall onto a host.
  6. Ticks possess a sensory apparatus called "Haller's organ." This structure senses odor, heat, and humidity. This is how ticks locate their food source. They climb unto the tips of tall grass and when they sense an animal is close by, they crawl on or hitch a ride when the animal or person brushes by.
  7. A tick's diet consists solely of blood.
  8. Ticks feed on rodents, rabbits, birds, deer, cats, dogs, reptiles, and humans.
  9. When feeding, ticks make a small hole in the skin and attach themselves with a modification of one of the mouth parts which has teeth that curve backwards. They insert barbed piercing mouth parts to remove blood.
  10. The tick's saliva helps keep the blood flowing by keeping it from clotting while the tick is feeding. In many ticks, the saliva also acts like cement, helping to anchor the tick in place and making it harder for you to remove it.
  11. Most tick bites are harmless, but some ticks carry diseases that can spread to people, including Lyme disease. The primary vector of Lyme disease in California is the Western black-legged tick.
  12. Ticks are also transmitters of a disease called tick paralysis. A toxin from the tick is transmitted to the victim while the tick is engorging (feeding on blood).
  13. Adult ticks have been known to live for as long as 200 days without a blood meal.
  14. Lyme disease is present in Contra Costa County. About one to two percent of Western black-legged ticks test positive for the disease.

Scientific Program Manager Steve Schutz, Ph.D. identifies a mosquito in the laboratory
WHY DO YOU COUNT ALL THOSE MOSQUITOES?
And why does knowing their species matter? 
Scientific Program Manager Steve Schutz answers this question in our newest edition of In a Minute. His answer may surprise you. Sometimes, it's a matter of a single vein.
Click here to view the video.
How To Get Automatic Adult Mosquito Spraying            Notifications & Breaking News

To learn when and where we are fogging for adult mosquitoes, sign up for our spray notifications. You can interact with the map and learn each and every street in our spray zone each time. 

Want breaking news such as when we find West Nile virus or other mosquito-borne diseases? Sign up for our automatic emails delivered right to you.  You choose which publications you wish to receive.


Got a minute for the latest one-minute videos? 

RAIN BARRELS WITHOUT MOSQUITOES
Community Affairs Representative Nola Woods answers a question we get often: How can I save rain water without producing mosquitoes?
GOT RATS? GOT MICE?WATCH US INSPECT A HOME'S EXTERIOR
Join Vector Control Inspector Steve Fisher as he inspects a residential property for rats and mice. You might be surprised to learn how rats and mice can enter your home or how easily the signs of entry can go unnoticed.

ESSENTIAL WINTER WORK: CLEARING BRUSH 
Mosquito control has its challenges. One is getting access to the water where mosquitoes thrive. Watch Vector Control Technician Brandon French explain his efforts on location. 

Our love/hate relationship with the rain has everyone in a tizzy. We're not sure whether we want to sing in it, shed it from our properties, or stockpile it. If you're opting for the latter, we commend you. Just make sure that when you store it, you aren't providing mosquitoes a home. Check out the video above for all of the information you need to store water without mosquitoes.

Remember, more mosquitoes now means exponentially more mosquitoes later. Just one mosquito can produce between 1,000 and 3,000 more in her lifetime of just about six weeks. Those female mosquitoes will then produce between 1,000 and 3,000 more mosquitoes, and so on and so on.

And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention those house gutters. I'm like a song stuck in a record's groove about this, but if they are clogged, they can produce tens of thousands of mosquitoes. Add in the exponential factor and you may be responsible for more than a million mosquitoes.

Be safe.  Be well. Stay dry.

Enthusiastically,



  Deborah Bass
  Public Affairs Manager
  Contra Costa Mosquito & Vector Control

                                                                                        

January 11, 2017
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Contra Costa Mosquito & Vector Control
925-685-9301
dbass@contracostamosquito.com
http://www.contracostamosquito.com