Mosquitoes
All mosquitoes found within the District’s boundaries belong to one of two groups: Floodwater mosquitoes or permanent and stagnant water mosquitoes. Membership in one or the other group is dependent on the type of environment in which the female mosquito chooses to lay her eggs.
Floodwater mosquitoes such as Aedes vexans, lay their eggs on dry ground in areas that are subject to flooding following sufficient rainfall. These eggs lay dormant until sufficient flooding occurs to initiate hatching. Hatching is synchronized, and development from egg to a blood-feeding adult can occur within 7 to 10 days.
Stagnant/standing water mosquitoes lay eggs directly on the water surface, either singly or in a cluster or raft. The production sources are constantly replenished with the next generation’s eggs, resulting in constant emergence of new adults.
Human Biting species occurring within the District include Coquillettidia perturbans, Anopheles punctipennis, and Anopheles quadrimaculatus. More importantly, are species in the Culex pipiens complex, which are known to be competent vectors of Saint Louis Encephalitis, West Nile Virus and are believed to be responsible for both amplification of the virus in birds and transmission to man. This Reed Township Mosquito Abatement District places a high priority on the suppression of the members of this medically important group.
Control Method
Reed Township Mosquito Abatement District’s primary emphasis is placed on the elimination of targeted populations when they are in their most vulnerable and concentrated stage of development. In the case of mosquitoes this is the aquatic larval stage. Focus is placed on annual surveys of the District to locate and map both permanent and temporary mosquito production sources, and to routinely inspect these areas.
Treatment only takes place in areas found to produce mosquitoes. Additional efforts are made to eliminate sources through water management projects whenever possible. Finally, temporary relief is provided through adult control measures in those areas in which surveillance traps indicate a need.
Field Operations
An effective mapping system to aid field personnel in locating mosquito production sources is important to mosquito abatement operation.
Once a potential source has been located and numbered, color-coding of the map is used to further distinguish the type of mosquito source.
Red = water sites (or portions thereof) which are considered temporary.
Green = semi-permanent or permanent water sites which potentially can produce mosquitoes.
Blue = water holding areas which have not shown any mosquito production for at least four years.
Aquatic Larval Control
Once an accurate mapping system has been established, a routine inspection and treatment program can be implemented to control mosquitoes. While in the larval stage, they are concentrated, and relatively immobile. Potential source locations are checked every 7-10 days during the mosquito production season. Locations found to harbor mosquito larvae are treated. Using the catalogue numbers created during the mapping process, inspection and treatment records for each source are compiled in a computer data base, which is used to monitor the frequency of mosquito production at a given location. Locations found to be dry during drought conditions are temporarily removed from the inspection lists. All sources temporarily removed from the inspection list are reinstated after sufficient rainfall to cause inundation has occurred.
Source Reduction
Eliminating the aquatic larval habitats of the mosquito is the most effective and efficient method of controlling mosquitoes.
Locations around the home that could breed mosquitos:
Artificial ponds, bird baths, clogged gutters, old tires, buckets, containers able to hold water, pool cover with standing water, new house construction with flooded basement, tree holes, any depressions in the ground capable of holding water, and lawn catch basin.
