Warming temperatures combined with late spring rains create ideal conditions for mosquitoes to breed, including the mosquitoes that transmit West Nile Virus. To help spread the message about mosquito prevention, April 15-21, 2018 has been designated as Mosquito and West Nile Virus Awareness Week.
West Nile Virus is spread by mosquitoes that get the virus from infected birds. Mosquitoes infected with the virus can transfer it to humans and other animals. Humans infected with the virus may become very ill. The disease usually is most serious in children, people with weakened immune systems, and the elderly. In 2017, California reported 553 human cases of West Nile Virus, which included 44...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
Conenose or ‘kissing bugs' (Triatoma spp.) are in the Reduviidae family, a group of insects known for a sturdy body and large proboscis. Most reduviids are beneficial as insect predators, and include various species of assassin bugs. Conenose bugs are easily confused with other assassin bugs as well as bugs with similar body shapes from other insect families.
Kissing bugs are not new insects to California or the United States, but there has been a good deal of press about them in recent years because conenose bugs can vector a protozoan, Trypanosoma cruzi, that causes Chagas disease in humans. While conenose bugs do...
Record-breaking heat continues to scald California, leading many of us to water our landscapes and gardens more. While the water is good for plants and helps us cool down, even the smallest amount of standing water mixed with high temperatures create an ideal climate for mosquito breeding. Use the following tips to help reduce mosquito habitats and protect yourself from being bitten.
Tip #1: Mosquitoes need water for the larval stage of their life cycle. Eliminate breeding sites in your yard by:
- Draining any containers that hold standing water; even something as small as a flower pot saucer can harbor mosquitoes.
- Emptying out bird baths once per week.
- Protecting ponds by using...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
The Zika virus is spread to people mainly through the bite of an infected mosquito, mostly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. People can also get the Zika virus through sexual contact with an infected person, and the virus can also be passed from a pregnant woman to her developing fetus, which can cause a serious birth defect called microcephaly.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is currently no vaccine to prevent the disease or any drugs to treat it. The best way to prevent Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases, including West Nile virus, is to protect yourself and your family from mosquito bites. Aedes mosquitoes are considered day biters, so it's important to...
- Author: Karey Windbiel-Rojas
[From the August 2016 issue of the UC IPM Retail Newsletter]
Concerns over the Zika virus have been all over the news lately, so you may be getting questions about mosquito repellents and how customers can protect themselves from mosquitoes.
The Zika virus is spread to people mainly through the bite of an infected mosquito, mostly Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. People can also get the Zika virus through sexual contact with an infected person, and the virus can also be passed from a pregnant woman to her developing fetus, which can cause a serious birth defect called...