Mosquito Season ‘24

Breanna Ameigh, West Nile Virus Coordinator, BCCD
Everyone loves summer and fall and what these gorgeous seasons have to offer. Alas, every year, colder months arrive along with heating bills, heavy coats, and at least one person who says “at least the mosquitoes will be gone” as an optimistic note. Though they will return in the spring, it feels like my battle with mosquitoes has been won – for now. As the West Nile Virus Coordinator, my entire job is a war on mosquitoes that I fight, physically, between April and October. In the off season, I try to prepare for the next season and educate anyone who will listen about what they can do to rid their properties of potential mosquito habitats. Who wouldn’t want less mosquitoes at their house? I’ve never been to a cookout and thought they didn’t have enough biting, disease-ridden mosquitoes. Now that those little monsters are finally starting to leave us alone, let’s go over what we did this mosquito season. 

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Covering both Bradford and Tioga County, our WNV program did biweekly surveillance of mosquito populations through different forms of trapping and larval sampling (that’s when we check that pesky standing water that everyone is always rightfully worried about.) The findings of these traps are then sorted, packed, and shipped to the Department of Environmental Protection to be identified and tested for possible diseases.

In our 2024 mosquito surveillance season, we found mosquitoes that tested positive for West Nile virus in both counties. In these instances, we revisited these sites and set more traps to continue monitoring the situation. Additionally, I completed adult control to try to rid the area of potentially infected mosquitoes. We also responded to numerous complaints by homeowners regarding an uncomfortable level of mosquito activity. Yes, you can do that! We go to the property, set some traps, look for a possible source, and treat what can be treated.

The best (and easiest) way to rid an area of unwanted mosquitoes is to eliminate potential habitats for breeding. Different species have different preferences regarding where they like to lay eggs. Some love highly organic water as seen in water treatment plants or pools of water in mulch. Others prefer water in tires, bird baths, toys in the yard, etc. Some of these sources are super easy to dump while others clearly are not. If you notice mosquitoes, check out your property and ask yourself this: “If I were a pregnant mosquito, is there a good place here to raise a family?” If it is, try to make some changes. This could be simply by dumping stagnant water regularly, cleaning out the gutters, discarding old tires, or using products such as mosquito Dunks (cheap and widely available) to keep those biters away. If the issues continue, give us a call and we will gladly help. In the meantime, avoiding the outdoors during mosquito biting times, covering skin with long sleeves and pants, and wearing bug spray is an option to protect yourself from those nasty bites.
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The Bradford County Conservation District is committed to helping people manage resources wisely.  You can visit the Bradford County Conservation District at 200 Lake Rd in Wysox across from the Wysox Fire Hall. Contact us at (570) 485-3144 or visit our web page at www.bccdpa.com.