There’s a buzz in the air in Northern California. If you can hear it, chances are likely that it could be a mosquito.
As warmer weather returns to the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, local vector control agencies are gearing up for mosquito season and the fight against West Nile Virus.
Aaron Devencenzi with San Joaquin County Mosquito and Vector Control District says traps have been placed around the county to gauge mosquito activity.
“We have 65 traps that are strategically placed throughout San Joaquin County to get a representative sample of the mosquito population,” he said. “It gives us an idea of the amount of mosquitoes that are out there and it will also give us an idea of how much virus is in those mosquitoes.”
Devencenzi said traps will also determine what measures will be taken to keep the mosquito population down, both on the ground and via aerial spraying.
He added that West Nile Virus replicates faster in their bodies “with warmer temperatures.”
California has seen 428 human cases of the mosquito-borne virus in 34 counties over the past year, including 51 cases in Sacramento County, 33 in Stanislaus and 15 in San Joaquin.
Gary Goodman, general manager of the Sacramento Yolo Vector Control District, said last year’s West Nile Virus cases were “almost record-setting” during an April 23 county board of supervisors meeting.
“We had a very intense season last year, and with the amount of rain that we’ve seen [this year] … we are anticipating another busy season,” he added.
The organization has been doing outreach at outdoor events across the Sacramento region, helping people understand the dangers of mosquito bites and West Nile Virus.
“We also buy repellent by the pallet, if there are events that anybody has, evening baseball games, National Night Out is a big one that we hand these things out for,” he said. “We want people to try to protect themselves, and repellent is an excellent way to try to protect yourself from being bitten by mosquitoes. All you have to do is call our district and we’d be more than happy to help deliver that as well.”
Mosquitoes can breed in very small amounts of water, Goodman said, so homeowners should empty and flip over any containers that could hold standing water around the house and backyard. He also said people who go outside in the evening should take precautions against bites by wearing long-sleeved shirts and repellent.
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