Tag Archives: Aedes mosquitoes
Mosquito populations booming after rains: Three varieties to worry about, control and repel
That familiar buzz and bite are signs that mosquito season in Texas is here, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife entomologist. Sonja Swiger, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service entomologist and associate professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Entomology, Stephenville, said biting mosquitoes are a seasons-long problem that often changes based on the environment. Which species are present and whether mosquitoes are an annoyance or vectors for diseases likely depends on those conditions, she said. Similarly, the temperature, availability of water and type of water available, such… Read More →
Zika Virus: What you need to know
Last December I wrote about bracing for a new mosquito-borne disease called Zika. Since then, evidence of a connection between Zika virus and two scary health conditions called Guillian-Barré syndrome and microcephaly has grown. Although there are still no known cases of Zika being acquired from mosquitoes locally, from within the U.S., there is a real possibility that Zika virus could reach Texas this summer. If so, these issues will become as important to the average stay-at-home Texan, as it is to those folks who are willing to… Read More →
What is chikungunya and why should we care?
Over 30 years ago as a graduate student taking a course in medical entomology, I learned about all kinds of diseases spread by insects. By far, most of these were tropical and exotic-sounding. I figured that, if I lived and worked in the U.S., my chances of encountering most of these pathogens was practically nil. Chikungunya (chik-un-GOON-ya) virus was one of those diseases I memorized way back then, and have since mostly forgotten. The chikungunya disease was first described in 1952 during an outbreak in southern Tanzania (east Africa). The name… Read More →