Tag Archives: mosquitoes
Most attractive contest
Where are you on the mosquito attractiveness scale? Are you a “1” or a “10”? Me? I know that I’m more attractive to mosquitoes than my wife (she is much more susceptible to poison ivy… I think I’ll be content). I suspect that I’m not a ten, though. Several years ago I was asked to visit a Plano resident who was very upset about the mosquito problem around her home. After searching her yard and poking about the surrounding neighborhood, the city health official and I had not… Read More →
September no time to forget West Nile virus
If you live in north Texas, chances are that you’ve been following reports of mosquito spraying efforts. You may have heard that in September the risk from West Nile virus usually goes down. However, the latest data shows that WNV risk may a actually be higher now than any time during 2013. Last summer’s record outbreak of WNV is, and we hope will remain, the benchmark for a dreadful year of mosquito-borne illness here in north Texas. This summer has been much different, with only five human cases in Dallas… Read More →
West Nile virus perspective
This week I attended the West Nile virus survivors support group, hosted by Dr. Don Read and his wife Roberta at the Medical City Dallas Hospital. The group meets every two months or so and provides a forum for learning about the disease and allowing victims to share their experiences and learn from other people who have been down the same rough road. This month’s meeting ended up being very moving, hearing the stories of several people who came down with the illness last summer. One woman in… Read More →
Mosquito and bed bug webinars
If you’ve never participated in a webinar (seminar on the Web), two good opportunities are coming up shortly. This Friday, June 7, the Don’t Bug Me Webinar Series is hosting Dr. Dini Miller to explain how to get rid of bed bugs. Dini, an entomology professor at Virginia Tech University, is one of the top field researchers with bed bugs. She’s always entertaining, so this opportunity is not to be missed if you have an interest in bed bugs. If you miss the program, the Webinar Series homepage… Read More →
Have you hugged your zoonosis expert today?
You have probably been thinking about zoonoses (zew oh NO sees, plural form of zoonosis) this week whether you realized it or not. A zoonosis is any infectious disease that can be spread from animals to humans, or vice versa. It’s estimated that over 60% of human pathogens that cause disease are zoonoses. One of the most common ways zoonoses spread is via some form of vector, or intermediate host (carrier) that serves to spread the pathogen. Mosquitoes, for example, are vectors for a variety of zoonotic diseases… Read More →
FAQs about aerial spraying for West Nile virus mosquitoes
In the summer of 2012 aerial mosquito spraying services were offered to Dallas area communities. The decision was made in response to the threat of record numbers of West Nile virus (WNV) cases in the north Texas area in that year. As with any important decision, there were differing opinions on what should be done to battle mosquito borne disease outbreaks. Because of concerns about aerial applications of insecticides over urban areas, I thought it might be useful to address some of the common questions from a science, applied entomology and… Read More →
New videos on mosquito control around the home
Today is the last day for my summer intern, Jeremy Farmer, and one of our final projects this week was making four new how-to videos about mosquito control. These videos cover much of the material addressed in my last blog, but sometimes a picture (video) is worth a thousand words. The videos cover: Mosquito Control – Protecting Yourself Reduce your risk of mosquito bites by using a good repellent. This video describes why you should use repellent and (at the end) lists repellents that are currently recommended by the… Read More →
West Nile Virus: Sooner than Later
The tiny buzz bombers are back. Mosquitoes are in full swing in Texas and are bringing the West Nile Virus with them. One of the first signs of the virus this year occurred in Plano, Texas (zip code 75074, northeast of the cross-section of SH-75 and President George Bush Turnpike). According to Scott Andrews of the City of Plano Environmental Health Department, “The confirmation came last Monday (June 19th) from samples we trapped and sent to the State Health Department. We sprayed the area for mosquitoes last Friday night… Read More →
