|
The BCCD priorities the well-being and prosperity of our community members and values their time spent outdoors, both for leisure and work. that is why we participate in DEP's West Nile Virus Program. Through this program we are able to sample locations in and around our county to collect data and report on the mosquito and tick populations. This allows us to have up-to-date information on West Nile Virus and other tickborne illnesses in our area.
|
|
Mosquitoes
|
In 2000, West Nile Virus appeared in Pennsylvania for the first time. Pennsylvania's plan uses the principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and focuses on education, habitat reduction, surveillance, and control. Adult and larval mosquito surveillance is conducted between April and October. WNV maintains itself by cycling between mosquitoes in the genus Culex and certain species of birds. A mosquito (the vector) bites an uninfected bird (the host), the virus amplifies within the bird, an uninfected mosquito bites the bird and is in turn infected. This cycle compounds itself through summer and fall, increasing the likelihood of someone being bitten by a diseased mosquito.
|
|
|
What can you do to prevent mosquito habitats on your property?
|
How can you protect yourself from West Nile virus?
|
Bradford County Mosquito Season Recap 2025
|
As the days get shorter, and the weather is getting a little colder we are beginning to see some relief from mosquitoes. Mosquito-borne virus levels have started to decrease and the risk to humans is lowering, and the monitoring season has officially come to an end.
I began surveillance in April of this year, and in some cases, it took me a while to locate problem areas and other areas of potential concern. With the help of the municipalities and others in the community, I was able to find some of these areas and conduct surveillance in multiple areas. With your help, I was able to survey and sample a total of 156 traps at 22 unique sites from around Bradford County. Between the interns and I, we were able to find and collect mosquitoes in multiple municipalities throughout the county. Together, we collected 3,577 mosquito larvae. The larvae were collected in both natural and artificial areas. Due to the dry summer we experienced, much of the breeding habitat consisted of artificial areas. These artificial areas were some of the most productive habitats with collections coming from tires, buckets, barrels, sewer treatment plants, gardening equipment, and children's toys, just to name a few. More natural areas such as retention basins and ditches were not as productive in 2025, due to the dry summer we experienced. |
A total of 3,623 adult mosquitoes were also collected. This is a 30% increase from 2024, due to the wet and rainy spring we experienced. I responded to multiple mosquito biting complaints throughout the county this year. At each complaint, I set a trap that will collect mosquitoes; these traps collected hundreds of mosquitoes. In response to the complaint and amount of mosquitoes collected, I was able to conduct an adult control treatment.
In Bradford County, there were a total of nine mosquito samples that tested positive for West Nile Virus; one sample in Athens Borough and another in Canton Borough, while the others were collected from Towanda Borough. After conducting extra surveillance in those areas, I was unable to detect any further virus. These municipalities were contacted about virus activity. This was an overall busy year for mosquito biologists across the state as 66 out of our 67 counties had mosquito samples test positive for West Nile. In total, there were 3,987 mosquito samples that tested positive for West Nile across PA. The PA Department of Health recorded 73 human cases of West Nile this season, as well as 24 horse cases. These are higher numbers that we have seen in the last few years, partially due to a very wet and rainy spring. Thank you all for a great year! ~ Jolie Coates, WNV Coordinator |
TicksDEP’s Tick Surveillance and Testing Program is responsible for conducting statewide active tick surveillance to determine the distribution, prevalence, and expansion of tick populations throughout the Commonwealth. In addition, the Vector Management Laboratory identifies, enumerates, and prepares ticks for pathogen testing. Due to their ability to transmit Lyme Disease and other tickborne illnesses the Program focuses mainly on Ixodes scapularis (Blacklegged or Deer Tick). Surveillance is conducted between April and September.
|
|
How can you protect yourself from tickborne illnesses?
- Wearing light colored clothing makes it easier to see any ticks on your clothing. Tuck your shirt into your pants and your pants into your socks.
- Using repellents that can be sprayed onto your clothing, like permethrin, will repel and kill any ticks that you encounter. The heat from a dryer can also kill ticks that may be crawling on your outdoor clothes.
- Checking yourself for ticks after being outdoors is important to reduce the risk of tickborne disease. The longer a tick is attached the more likely it is to transmit pathogens it may be carrying.
- Use an EPA approved insect repellent for tick prevention. DEET is a repellant used for ticks and mosquitoes. It can be sprayed directly on skin and/or clothing to help keep ticks away.
- Do not use household remedies such as burning the ticks, Vaseline, or using nail polish. ALWAYS REMOVE THE TICK AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
Ticks Active Now
For questions related to mosquitoes and ticks, or to report complaints, please contact:
Jolie Coates
570-485-3119
Jolie Coates
570-485-3119