NAMPA, Idaho — Canyon County Mosquito Abatement says crews are seeing a wider variety of mosquitoes earlier than usual this year.
Inside the abatement lab, crews are identifying mosquito species and testing the ones that could carry dangerous viruses, including West Nile.
Director Jim Lunders says crews expect mosquito larvae this time of year, but what is different is which mosquitoes are already showing up.
Lunders says the warm winter and early heat are causing some species to overlap, including the kind tied to West Nile. He says those mosquitoes started showing up two to three weeks earlier than they normally would.
Watch to see how Canyon County crews track and test mosquitoes —
Dr. Jess Evans-Wall, an emergency physician with Saint Alphonsus, says West Nile is the biggest mosquito-borne illness in the U.S. She says older adults and people with weaker immune systems are at higher risk for serious illness.
Back in the lab, crews trap mosquitoes, identify them, and test the ones that could carry West Nile. In one tub, Lunders pointed to an egg raft with about 300 mosquito eggs in one raft.
Crews say small spots around neighborhoods can also produce mosquitoes. That can include tires, storm drains, planter trays, or anywhere water can collect and stick around.
Lunders says the goal is to treat sources before mosquitoes become noticeable, but crews still need help cutting down places where they can grow.
Canyon County Mosquito Abatement can help in major mapped areas around Nampa and Caldwell, but crews say they cannot control what is happening in your own backyard. Lunders says even water in planter trays should be dumped at least once a week to keep mosquitoes at bay.
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