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Public Works - Mosquito Control 

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Threat Condition
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THE BUZZ

Volume 5, 27   (Week 41)

October 12, 2006

 
Mosquito Activity (Scale from 0 to 5)
  • The city received an average of 1.75 inches of rain last week.
  • The mosquito activity is a 2. The mosquito activity decreased this week as trap counts continue to fall and cooler temperatures are moving in.
  • Cooler nighttime temperatures and shorter days mean the season is winding down. There still may be increased mosquito activity on warm evenings due to last week’s rain.
Surveillance
  • 8 CDC style light traps were set this week, a total of 689 mosquitoes were caught, for an average of 86 per trap. Trap counts dropped by 38% from last week. Mosquito hot spots remain along the southern city margins.
  • Crews continue to monitor standing water for larvae and treat where necessary.
Service Requests
  • We received no complaint calls this week.
Control Efforts
  • Cooler nighttime temperatures and above average winds have made truck fogging difficult.
  • Crews have continued to treat all standing water in roadside and back ditches and storm drains.
Mosquito Control Facts (Tarps)
  • Many back yards have at least one tarp. While these are great for sheltering wood, lawn mowers, or anything else from the weather, tarps also make excellent breeding sites for container breeding mosquitoes.
  • Remember that after every rain event, any depressions in these tarps will hold water. This water can also get trapped in folds of the tarp, making it hard to see, but be assured mosquitoes will find it and lay their eggs.
  • One tarp that traps water can produce hundreds of mosquitoes in your back yard.
  • Please take the extra few minutes to mindfully dump all trapped water in your tarp and to stretch the tarp taunt allowing water run off, instead of pooling on top.

Mosquito Control Facts (Tarps)

Mosquito Trap Counts

 
City of Portsmouth, Virginia - All rights reserved.

last updated October, 2006