Each year the week of June 26th is declared National Mosquito Control Awareness Week by the American Mosquito Control Association to educate the public. As your local exterminator and mosquito control experts, Arrow Exterminators wants you to be aware of all the local efforts being made to control the mosquito problem. In recent weeks, there have been reports of mosquitoes found in the area to carry the West Nile virus and so far there have been 2 cases of people in Oklahoma contracting the illness. With all of this talk in the news lately, most people are already aware of what they can do to help out in battle against mosquitoes (like eliminating standing water around their homes), but we want you to also be aware of what’s being done publicly to address the situation.
Because of the threat to humans, mosquito control in the US has assumed a more critical public health function. The Health Departments in our area do what they can to stop the spread of mosquito borne illnesses such as West Nile virus and Chikungunya. Mosquito larval control usually consists of water management and source reduction. They will seek out areas of standing water and do what they can to eliminate them. Unfortunately, when these control measures are inadequate, the need for application of mosquitocides arises. Pesticides may be applied to control larvae (larvicides) or adults (adulticides). The Health Departments hire qualified and trained specialists to handle these products. Pesticides are generally sprayed at dusk and the public is urged to avoid the spraying trucks.
The Tulsa Health Department (THD) operates a mosquito surveillance program in order to confirm the mosquito population and to test when West Nile virus is present in the community. Currently, they have set 48 special mosquito traps in various locations throughout Tulsa County that are tested weekly. In a typical mosquito season, the THD sprays hundreds of square miles using larviciding and adulticiding when necessary. Four of Tulsa’s mosquito traps have tested positive for West Nile virus (1 trap confirmed the virus on 2 separate occasions making a total of 5 positive results) and the THD has already begun spraying the surrounding areas of those traps. If you’ve noticed an abundance of mosquitoes in your area, please contact the THD’s mosquito hotline at 918-595-4219.
The Oklahoma City-County Health Department (OCCHD) has an integrated mosquito control strategy in place with a surveillance program and the use of larvicide when the population of mosquitoes gets out of hand. Earlier today was the first report of a mosquito in Oklahoma County testing positive for West Nile Virus. The OCCHD is urging the public to get rid of any sources of standing, stagnant water around their homes and to report any other issues of standing water in the community. At the time of writing this, it appears that Oklahoma City does not spray for mosquitoes. However, they will use larvicides in standing water around the area to prevent the mosquitoes from maturing. You can report standing water on private property, like homes or businesses, to the Oklahoma OCCHD by using their online complaint form, or if you find standing water on City property it can be reported to the Action Center by filling out an online service request or calling (405)-297-2535.
