KIVITV.COM | Boise. News, Breaking News, Weather and Sports-Officials: Ada County Residents Need to Take Mosquito Precautions

Officials: Ada County Residents Need to Take Mosquito Precautions

Mosquito populations in Ada County have spiked this year, and now that abatement workers

are beginning to see signs of the West Nile virus in surveillance locations, officials say residents must take immediate action to eliminate potential breeding sites from their property and protect against the human infection of the potentially deadly West Nile virus.

"Now that we are seeing the emergence of West Nile among local mosquito populations, our abatement crews are working around the clock to knock out mosquitoes carrying the virus," said Ada County Weed, Pest and Mosquito Abatement Director Brian Wilbur. "But we can't do it alone - we need residents' help. It starts at home by removing standing water from around your property and by being smart about protecting yourself against mosquito bites when you're outdoors."

Ada County monitors 50 set locations where each week mosquito populations are trapped and tested for the presence of West Nile virus. The most recent positive mosquito test pools come from an area near the intersections of Cole and Tenmile Creek roads in south Ada County east of Kuna, a location near the intersection of Deer Flat and South Cloverdale roads, and a site near Star, south of State Street and Moon Valley Road.

In previous weeks, positive tests for West Nile surfaced in a trapping site near Ten Mile and King roads in Kuna and at a second trap location north of Star near the intersection of Beacon Light Road and Highway 16.

These trapping locations were tested a week after the positive identification was made and the trapped mosquitoes showed no presence of the virus, which proves ground applications are working, Wilbur said.

Officials tell us Ada County has increased its abatement efforts in these impacted areas to control the Culex mosquito population - the primary species known to carry the West Nile virus in Ada County. All Ada County residents, especially those living close to the positive trapping locations mentioned above should take the following precautions:

• Drain areas of standing water around your home or property
• Avoid over-watering your lawn and landscape
• Clean or drain livestock watering tanks every week
• Clean or drain birdbaths or decorative ponds every week

(Note: small, inexpensive biological mosquito control ‘bricks' can be placed in ponds that are not able to be drained/cleaned frequently. These mosquito ‘bricks' can be found at larger home and garden centers.)

• Remove containers that collect water such as buckets, cans, flowerpots, tires, etc. from your property
• Report any abandoned swimming pools located in your neighborhood. Standing water can collect in empty swimming pools and can be prime mosquito breeding habitat
• Use DEET or another EPA-approved mosquito repellent when outdoors
• Wear protective clothing: long pants, long-sleeved shirts, socks when outdoors
• Avoid being outdoors between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active

"It's interesting to note that this economic recession is affecting us even here the mosquito business," Wilbur said. "A growing area of concern for mosquito breeding locations is the rising number of abandoned private swimming pools, either from foreclosed homes or because residents want to save maintenance costs by not making their pools operational this summer. We've noticed several of these abandoned pools that have turned into a mucky, polluted mess of standing water -in other words, these are new and previously unidentified, prime mosquito breeding sites."

The Ada County Mosquito Abatement district has numerous tools to help residents protect themselves from the West Nile virus and to mosquito-proof their homes. Officials urge residents with questions to call the district at 577-4646. Residents can request an inspection of their neighborhood and a large presence of mosquitoes is found, crews will return with abatement equipment. Residents should also visit the mosquito tracker online at: www.adaweb.net/WeedPestandMosquito/MosquitoAbatement/SurveillanceMapping.aspx.

Surveillance results from the 50 mosquito trapping locations are posted on this interactive map so residents can easily determine whether the West Nile virus has been identified in a location near their neighborhoods.

Lastly, residents who notice dead birds or squirrels in their neighborhoods should contact the Idaho Department of Fish and Game Southwest Region at 465-8465. This could be an indicator of mosquito-to-mammal transmission of the West Nile virus.