MOSQUITO COUNTS - Trapping data isn't mapped this week because our chief trapper and technologist Mike Smolen is out of town at Purdue University.  Part of what he plans to do is have the whole district GIS mapped in a way which can coordinate trapping data with breeding site maps and perhaps fogging routes as well.  Thanks to generous donations of time and equipment from the community, we now have access to 13 traps.  The knowledge we will gain about where and when the different types of mosquitoes breed and how far they travel will help us target our efforts even more effectively in the future.  Although the nights are cooling, which will slow down the mosquito life cycle, the days are warm and the season is still on.  Keep looking for ways to eliminate standing water and keep protecting yourself from bites.

 

FOGGING - Thresholds for fogging were recently adjusted due to the lack of WNV found on the Western Slope.  We are utilizing other resources to get our own mosquitoes tested for the virus with a quicker turnaround (days instead of weeks), so we can readjust the thresholds downward if any virus is found.  The new fogging threshold is 25 mosquitoes of any type in a trap (instead of 10 Culex or 25 total), still a low number compared to other districts' thresholds.  However, 25 mosquitoes is about the point at which most people will notice and complain.  Hundreds is the point at which people feel they're being carried away.

 

WEST NILE VIRUS - The Colorado Department of Public Health reports 18 confirmed cases of West Nile Fever or Meningitis as of August 11, only one of which was in Mesa County.  No Western Slope mosquitoes have yet been found to carry the virus, so the chance of transmission is still very low here.  The number of Culex mosquitoes caught in local Health Dept. traps is coming down, having peaked for the season last week.  However, don't take your safety for granted.  If you must go outside at dawn or after dusk, wear long sleeves and pants and a good mosquito repellent.  Take special care if you will be working around moist and shady vegetation during the day (and report it to the hot line if you've found a high concentration of mosquitoes!)