Mosquito Abatement

Ada County Weed Pest and Mosquito Abatement

Mosquito Abatement Services

The Ada County Mosquito Abatement District (ACMAD) has a complete and integrated pest management plan to mitigate the impact of West Nile Virus in Ada County. ACMAD has evaluated other Mosquito Abatement programs, and has modeled their management plan after other successful abatements that have environments similar to Ada County. The ACMAD has a strong focus on education, ecologically sensitive control agents, and breeding site remediation (removal of mosquito breeding areas).

Mosquito Abatement Program Focus Areas:

Mosquito Population Surveillance
Mapping of Breeding Sites and Site Remediation
Larval Mosquito Control
Adult Mosquito Control
Education and Self Protection

Mosquito Population Surveillance:

Adult mosquitoes will be collected once a week from each of the 50 traps distributed across Ada County. Each day that traps are collected, mosquitoes will be counted and identified by species. The results from this determine if, and what type of, control is appropriate. Ada county has the equipment and personnel to to test the collected mosquitoes for the pressence of West Nile virus antibodies. In situations where we cannot confirm the presence of the West Nile virus, Ada County submits our collected mosquitoes to a state operated laboratory for other, more sophisticated testing. This allows us to double check that we are correctly determining whether or not we are accurately testing for the presence of infected mosquitoes.

Mapping of Breeding Sites and Site Remediation:

ACMAD maintains locations of more that 2000 bodies of water that are currently or historically known to foster breeding mosquitoes. This information is digitally submitted to field crews using handheld PDA's and GPS technology for accurate and efficient location of individual sites. This technology also enables field crews to dynamically update existing sites and collect new sites as conditions change. Whenever possible, sites that foster breeding mosquitoes are remediated to permanently prevent any future larva production.

Larval Mosquito Control:

In sites where it is determined that a larvacide treatment is necessary, a carefully measured amount of an insect growth regulating hormone may be applied. In some instances, depending on the growth stage of the larva, a biological control agent, containing bacteria that interrupt the feeding ability of larval mosquitoes will be used. If the mosquitoes are in the pupae stage, a wetting agent may be applied to the water that changes the waters surface film tension. This makes it impossible for the pupae to get oxygen. These larvacides are as environmentally sensitive as possible, and the types used by ACMAD do not accumulate in the air, soil, or water of a treatment site, nor are they harmful to non-target insects.

Adult Mosquito Control:

In all mosquito control programs there are going to be times that will allow for a certain number of larvacide escapes. To control these adult mosquito populations, ACMAD is prepared and equipped to apply mosquito adulticides. Using ultra low volume application equipment, the county will treat areas as determined necessary from surveillance activity, or other thresholds, such as mosquito complaints from area residents. When public health officials, in conjunction with the Office of the Governor, feel that a public health emergency exists, ACMAD makes arrangements to have adulticide products applied by air, in threatend portions of the county. For information about the products that are used in the control of mosquitoes, please read what the United States Environmental Protection Agency has determined through research, concerning the safe use of larvicides, adulticides, and oils.

Education and Self Protection:

Ada County Mosquito abatement is very concerned with the possibility of disease transmission through mosquitoes. We are making every prudent effort to provide for the health protection of the residents of Ada County. There are several things that you can do to help protect yourself from the threat of West Nile virus infection.

Make sure that there are no sources of standing water on your property. In as short as four days, a mosquito can mature from an egg to an adult. Look for and drain any sources of standing water on your property. Unused tires and old buckets that will hold a little water can be mosquito breeding grounds.

Wear light-colored, long sleeved shirts and long pants during the parts of the day that mosquitoes are feeding. Dusk and dawn are when mosquitoes are most active. Use an approved mosquito repellent at these times. Current information indicates that repellents that contain the active ingredient DEET are the most effective. Please remember that clothing is not enough of a deterrent to stop mosquitoes from feeding, especially through thin materials that are commonly worn in the summertime. Repellant should also be applied to your clothing. The percentage of DEET contained in the repellent determines the length of time, not the level of effectiveness, the repellent provides. DEET can be irritating to the eyes and mouth, so it should not be applied to the hands of children. Do not apply repellents containing permethrin to your skin. Always follow the directions on the repellent package label.

Limit your exposure to disease carrying mosquitoes. Check that all screens on your house are in good repair, and of the proper mesh, to keep mosquitoes out. Plan your activities so that you are able to stay indoors as much as possible in the mornings and evenings, when mosquitoes are most active.

Ask for assistance. If you feel that you have an intolerable level of mosquito infestation, call us at the Mosquito Abatement office and request an adulticiding treatment. Our phone number is (208) 577-4646, from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday - Friday, (except legal holidays). We do not spray the county as a matter of course. We rely on requests by the public to alert us to areas that are having mosquito problems. It is in this way that we learn about new areas that need the attention of the larvicide program.