Report Mosquitoes and/or Breeding Sites
If you know of any potential mosquito breeding habitat, please add a comment and let us know about it. The NFMAD is currently mapping and treating habitats systematically, and the more thorough we can be, the better mosquito control we'll have. If you have mosquitoes in numbers, give us a call or comment to let us know where they are. With your help, our crew will come out and try to identify and eliminate the source of your mosquitoes.
In the North Fork, we have two general types of mosquitoes: the floodwater mosquitoes, who lay their eggs on dry land for them to hatch and develop when the land floods even years later, and the permanent water mosquitoes, who lay rafts of eggs in standing water (warm and shallow) and overwinter as adults. The floodwater mosquitoes, of which we have several species, are nasty biters but less likely to carry disease. They'll breed in the pools that form near rivers when the water level rises or in the low-lying ground of your fields and orchards when you have seeps or collected runoff from flood irrigation. If the water stands for more than 3 days and it's warm, you may have an outbreak of mosquitoes. Try not to over water your lawns and fields, and keep your ditches and runoff flowing.
The permanent water mosquitoes in our area are likely to be Culex tarsalis. They are the ones that can carry and spread West Nile Virus. Permanent or seasonal ponds and marshes can support these mosquitoes. Look for cattails to find likely areas. They breed best in warm weather, so they like shallow water and are likely to be seen in numbers later in the season. These are the mosquitoes most likely to be in or near your homes, and they can breed easily in small amounts of water in your back yard. Old tires, wheelbarrows, potted plants, clogged gutters, bird baths and swamp coolers can produce great numbers of these disease-carrying mosquitoes. You can help a lot by inspecting and cleaning up your own property. Help your neighbor do the same.
Thank you for your help in keeping our area livable!
Comments
Yes it seems the mosquitoes district is on the news again now vol have to do a job of people that was being paid THANK YOU VOL I sure hope all of hotchkiss and paonia areas do get all fogged. sure sad you are on the news again lack of funds huh I wonder why? Thank you again vol to do this thank you thank you.
update even the farmers around here are saying that the mosquitoes is the worst they have ever seen, before the mosquitoes district started now what does that tell you, If the mosquitoes district does not understand this then there is a huge problem. All I can say is that next year they better put some pride into there job or there is going to be alot of sick people. So please get new people who care, board members and staff, take a cut in pay do what ever you have todo to put a stop of WASTE! AND KILL THESE MOSQUITOES!!!!!!!!!!!
As I have been saying for quite some time now they were wasting money left and right and now it is in the newspaper from gj. I am going to the court house and I incourgage all of you to do the same and get opt out of this. The mosquitoes controll people came one time in two years on my property that is not good. Yes I agree we need to kill the little buggers. I fill that everyboard member be fired and mangager and workers because now we are about 17,000 in the hole. Pretty bad wasting money every where and not doing the job. See Tom I was RIGHT. pretty sad :( wasting our tax money on useless stuff sad sad sad sad sad I sure hope the board members have learned a lesson for the last two years you do not pay a manager 16.00 dollers an hour you can not afford that and etc.................
I added a comment to the last two posts, but put it in the Community Forum section (just click on the menu button above). That is probably the better place for general debate.
Tom Wills
Tom I am not mad at you or even upset I just fill you don't know the whole story there is so much more that you just can not belive about this so have a nice day.
Tom maybe if you checked with your neighbor the mayor he will tell you that people are very upset here in hotchkiss. People are having to pay the taxes nothing getting done, waste of money and they are having to go out and buy stuff to kill the mosquitoes that they should not have todo. This is also happing in paonia maybe you should get out of your book store and go talk to people in both cities and walk in the fields at dusk I bet you won't!!!!!!!!! Cause just like you you do not want westnile either. So there!!!!!GET A :LIFE
In reviewing my own personal experience with mosquitoes over the past twenty years in central Hotchkiss it seems that the past two years haven't been that much different than in the past. Certainly no worse. But this year we've seen fewer mosquitoes for whatever reason. Cooler weather was a factor. I fully support the larvicide focused - targeted/minimal spraying approach as long as there is an aggressive trapping program to provide the data to make it work. Again, my concern is the sustainability of the trapping which is mostly dependent upon a small core group of volunteers, all of whom are opposed to fogging creating a perceived bias. We need to plan to move this into the funded area with the trapping done by professionals.
As for anyone being upset I haven't heard that much––at least from in-town folks. But there will be an election this next spring (May - 2010) with 4 of the 5 board members being up for reelection so those that want change should come forward now and establish some credibility. Rumors from people unwilling to sign their names are not helpful. Come to a meeting. Stand up and say your piece. Be specific in your concerns.
Finally (on topic), over the past few days since just before the rain I have noticed an uptick of the number of mosquitoes in the early evening in Hotchkiss on West Main. Not terrible but more than there have been.
Good job Board, Elizabeth and the crew this year. Especially kudos to Lulu, Mike and all of those very, very appreciated (unsustainable) volunteers.
Tom Wills - 229 W. Bridge - Hotchkiss
Once again people are upset paoina hotchkiss the towns are bad with mosquitoes the word is that the board members do not understand or know how to take care of the mosquitoes, and they do not understand that they can be sued because of not taking controll of the mosquitoes, also the word is that 4 board members are leaving, also the word is that people are upset of wasting money like driving the mosquitoes truck to delta for lunch costing us waste money and time and also the wages 16.00 for a manager for 2 years. This has been the worst two years of the mosquitoes. Did you know that if everybody got together and sign we could get opt out of this district on the next election, I fill if this mosquitoes does not get under control that a law suit will happen if a person gets sick. This is what could happen if somebody want's todo this. Let just get new boardmembers that care and people to work that cares and all of this will come to a stop.
Take a look at the DOZENS of old tires pitched in the weeds all along the new Paonia library parking lot. Lovely. Can they be encouraged to remove them?
Also a stack in the alley just south of the RR crossing on 2nd St.
I have a picture of a defunct hot tub with standing water in it. It is located at 408 Delta Ave. My neighbor asked Mr. Martinez to clean it up 3 weeks ago and nothing has been done. He has a lot of junk in his yard and there probably other places with standing water on his property.
Yes I read the comment what Richard had said and he is right you guys are not doing anything here in Hotchkiss what are you doing with the money from our taxes, buying new shirts and etc. Get your butts out there and get kill these mosquitoes or I want my taxes also taken off I need the money to buy stuff to kill the mosquitoes myself. And one more thing why did you take Richard comment off is it because he was RIGHT