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Ada County Weed Pest and Mosquito Abatement
Facts and FAQs
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Facts about mosquitoes:
* All mosquitoes MUST have water to complete their life cycle, which is why it is extremely important to drain any standing water from around your property.
* During warm weather, it takes from three to seven days for a mosquito to complete its life cycle (from egg to adult). So in as little as a week, you could be breeding mosquitoes in any stagnant water found around your property.
* Mosquitoes only lay their eggs in or near water; they do not develop in grass or shrubbery even though you see adult flying mosquitoes in these areas during the day. Some mosquitoes lay their eggs above water on soil in anticipation of a spring or summer flood event. Often nuisance mosquitoes are found around pastures where flooding occurs.
* Only the female mosquito bites.
* Some female mosquito species can survive over the winter to lay her eggs in spring. Female mosquitoes can lay hundreds of eggs at one time - this is called a "brood." Some mosquito species lay multiple broods each summer.
* Mosquitoes are attracted to people from exhaled carbon dioxide, odors and body heat.
* Some mosquitoes live their lives close to their breeding source, but others can fly up to 15 miles in their lifetime. The Culex tarsalis (which is found in Ada County and carries the West Nile virus) can fly up to two miles a day in search of a blood meal.
Frequently Asked Questions - West Nile Virus:
Do all mosquitoes carry WNv?
No, Culex tarsalis and Culex pipiens and Culex quinquefasciatus are the primary vector (disease carrying) species in the United States. The first two species are common to Ada County.
What mosquito species are common to Ada County?
There are 14 known species of mosquitoes common to Ada County – but six are of major concern. Click here to read more about these vector (disease carrying) and nuisance species.
Can I get WNv from a human infected with the virus?
No, you can only get WNv from an infected mosquito (rare cases include blood transfusions and organ transplants, see the CDC website for more information).
What is the best mosquito repellent to protect against West Nile?
Use any mosquito repellent that contains DEET, and follow the label application instructions. If you wish to use a natural product, make sure it contains oil of lemon eucalyptus – the only natural product recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). NOTE: Read the label for these products. Sprays containing oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under the age of three.
Do I really have to spray repellent on my clothing?
Yes. It is recommended you wear clothing that covers your arms and legs when you are outdoors between dusk and dawn – when mosquitoes are most active (especially the Culex species, known to carry the West Nile virus). Spray the repellent on your clothing for added protection, since mosquitoes can bite through fabric.
Can my cats and dogs get WNv?
Yes, but there are very few recorded cases and WNv is typically not fatal to dogs and cats.
What are the symptoms of WNv?
See symptoms of WNv or refer to the CDC website for more in-depth information.
Is their a WNv vaccine for humans?
No, not yet, however, research is being done to create one.
Frequently Asked Questions - Mosquitoes and Mosquito Control:
Why do mosquitoes come back over the winter – don’t they die from cold weather?
Mosquito species can live anywhere from two weeks to two months, but adults of certain species can survive over the winter. These are typically the first mosquitoes active in the spring. Other species overwinter as eggs and can be dormant for as many as three years.
How do you control for mosquitoes?
Larviciding:
Ada County strives to control mosquitoes before or immediately after eggs hatch and the mosquito is in the larva stage. Our larviciding crews monitor nearly 68,000 acres of water at 2,766 specific sites throughout Ada County, and crews will treat these water bodies with bio-agents or chemicals if they find mosquito larva. Larviciding chemicals are not harmful to fish, animals or other insects, and work to prevent the larva from growing into flying adults. Larviciding can reduce the overall pesticide usage in Ada County’s integrated control program (monitoring for mosquitoes, larviciding and adulticiding). Killing mosquito larvae before they emerge as adults reduces or eliminates the need for ground or aerial application of pesticides to kill adult mosquitoes in the event of critical WNv levels.
Adulticiding:
Ada County Mosquito Abatement District workers set about 50 traps throughout the county to trap mosquitoes and test them for the presence of the West Nile virus. When high numbers of mosquitoes are trapped in a location, or in the case West Nile virus is detected in a specific trap, crews are dispatched to the area with ground fogging trucks. The foggers disperse a fine mist of pesticides to kill flying adult mosquitoes to control populations and eliminate those carrying West Nile.
Are the chemicals you use to larvicide dangerous?
There are two methods used in larviciding, both of which are as environmentally sensitive as possible. The first essentially uses a biological pesticide, BTI (Bacillus thuringiensis israelenis), a bacteria, to target mosquito larva in infested bodies of water. The bacteria produces protein crystals that stunt the growth of mosquito larvea to prevent the larvae from maturing into flying adults. BTI has selective action; only mosquitoes, black flies and some midges are susceptible ot the control agent. Aquatic animals and other insects are unaffected by BTI applications. The second larviciding treatment affects mosquitoes in the pupae and larvae stage. A natural wetting agent applied to the infested body of water actually changes the water's surface film tension so the young mosquitoes cannot get oxygen they need to survive and mature. These larviciding agents do not accumulate in the air, soil or water of a treatment site, nor are they harmful to non-target insects.
Will your chemicals hurt my fish?
Larvicide chemicals do not affect fish, but our adulticide chemicals do so we are careful not to spray within 100 feet of known bodies of water containing fish.
What do I do if I have a fish pond?
If you have a fish pond, you can contact us so that we can put it on our map and we won’t treat within 100 feet of your pond.
Will your fogging kill my bees?
Only if the bees are out flying, but we typically fog after dusk and into the evenings after bees have already returned to the hive.
What do I do if I have bee hives?
Contact us and we can put your beehive locations in our mapping program to avoid the immediate area as a safety precaution.
Does your fogging hurt beneficial insects?
No, we use an ultra-low volume fogger that releases micron-sized droplets in the evenings. These droplets are so small that one drop can kill a mosquito, but does not have a fatal effect on larger insects like dragonflies, butterflies or moths.
Does it cost me anything at time of service?
No, we do not charge a service fee. All activities within the mosquito abatement district are covered in your property taxes if you live within the mosquito district.
Will you fog my property every night?
No, that is too often according to the insecticide label. Under normal conditions, the maximum frequency of spraying the same area is twice per week, unless West Nile virus has been confirmed within that area via our surveillance. This is to prevent the mosquitoes from building a resistance to our fogging insecticide.
What do you guys do all winter when there is no mosquito activity?
We survey sites, repair broken equipment, record new habitat, retire old habitat, public education, research and data analysis and continue training on new abatement procedures.
Frequently Asked Questions - Mosquito Control at Home:
Do mosquito dunks for my home pond work?
Yes, follow the label instructions. You can purchase mosquito dunks from most major home and garden stores.
Can I use mosquito dunks in my animal's water trough?
Yes, the mosquito dunks are not harmful to your animals and are a great way to make sure your water troughs don't turn into a mosquito breeding site.
Can I get the fish (Gambusi affinis) that eat mosquito larva that are present in my home pond?
What do I do with a dead bird?
It is not necessary to save dead birds any more, however you can contact the Idaho Department of Fish and Game for further information and testing.
How can I eliminate mosquito breeding locations from around my home?
Mosquitoes MUST have standing water to complete their life cycle. Mosquitoes can hatch from eggs in as little as seven days, so it is extremely important to eliminate all stagnant water in areas around your property. Mosquitoes can lay their eggs in as little as a couple tablespoons of water, so do your part to remove standing water in discarded tires, abandoned swimming pools, pails, buckets, animal water dishes, bird baths, recreation vehicles and flower pots around your property. Additionally, make sure your watering equipment isn't leaking and pooling water around spigots or automatic sprinkler equipment.