Another Bad Year For West Nile Virus? Looks Like It!

2012 was a record year for West Nile Virus with over 5 thousand reported cases! And those are just the people who displayed symptoms! Eighty percent of people infected with West Nile will never show any symptoms and will recover on their own so we can only imagine how many people had this mosquito-borne disease. We are only a few months into this year’s mosquito season and it’s already looking like it could be another big year of West Nile.

A new study out of Texas is reporting higher numbers of southern house mosquitoes, the specie of mosquito that most frequently transmit the disease in the area. Texas had the highest number of West Nile cases in 2012 and as a result implemented increased mosquito misting and testing this year. When comparing 2012 and 2013 trapping numbers, there is more potential for mosquitoes carrying West Nile this year than last.

Traps out of Dallas County Texas were analyzed three times in the month of May, on the 11th, 18th and 25th respectively. Each time the number of southern house mosquitoes went up. Understanding the numbers and potential threats, will hopefully lead to increased awareness of the dangers that mosquitoes can transmit.

Nearly 290 people died from West Nile Virus last year. Certain municipalities cancelled outdoor events because of the threat. We at Mosquito Squad are happy to see that many areas of the country have responded with larger mosquito control budgets to protect their communities. More widespread misting is taking place as well as treatment for areas that are known to hold a lot of standing water where mosquitoes can breed.

While governments are taking action on public properties, homeowners still need to take action at their own home, especially if they spend time outdoors. We’ve always called our tips to get rid of mosquitoes the 5Ts and we’ve made it easy to remember. Just take a look at this…

While this video is fun, the underlying message is serious. The 5Ts are important steps in combatting the mosquito population on any given property. Survey your yard and take note of areas where you 1) see standing water or 2) see an abundance of mosquitoes. That will tell you the most important areas to treat.

Female mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, which will develop into mosquitoes in just a few days. And it doesn’t take a lot of water to do it in. A bottle cap provides enough water to lay up to 300 eggs in! It may be difficult, or even impossible, to get rid of ALL the standing water in your yard, do what you can, especially to the larger containers. For example, that bird bath you have may be beautiful, but it’s the best place for a mosquito to lay its eggs if it isn’t turned over on a regular basis.

Mosquitoes, unfortunately, aren’t easily eliminated from a property without professional mosquito control treatments. That’s where Mosquito Squad comes into play! Our trained applicators will come to your property and treat the foliage that mosquitoes feed on. Our mist is able to get in underneath the foliage that are difficult to get to on your own.

If you have questions on the best way to get rid of mosquitoes, please reach out to your local Mosquito Squad office.