San Mateo County Mosquito & Vector Control District Sept Department Reports = posted 10/16/2017

Article Source: San Mateo County Mosquito & Vector Control District

MANAGER’S REPORT

SUBJECT: State, Agency and District Activities

State

• 2018 Annual conference of the Mosquito and Vector Control Association of California in Monterey from January 28-30, 2018. Board member attendees will be selected at the November Board meeting. Further information is available at the following link: http://www.mvcac.org/news-and-events/86th-annual-mvcac-conference/
• MVCAC Fall Quarterly Meeting will be October 31-November 1 in Sacramento. Trustee Donna Rutherford will attend as the Coastal Region representative on the MVCAC Trustee Advisory Council. District Manager Chindi Peavey will also attend. There will be a Trustee Training event available for interested Board member on October 31 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM on Board and staff relations titled “Who Does What? Best Practices in Board / Staff Relations”. Please let me know if you would like to sign up for this workshop.
• MVCAC Annual Planning Workshop will be November 30 – Dec 1 in Emeryville. District Manager Chindi Peavey will attend.
• Legislative updates
• Board Officer nominations at the November 8 Board Meeting – Board officers serve for two years and elections for these positions will be held at the January 2018 Board meeting. Nominations for Board officers must be submitted at or before the November Board meeting. Please be ready to submit your nominations by the November 8 Meeting. A copy of the District Policy on Board Officer Elections is attached.
• The District’s new Laboratory Director, Angie Nakano will begin working for the District on October 16 and will attend the November 8 Board meeting. She is leaving her position at the Marin Sonoma Mosquito and Vector Control District and cannot attend the October 8 Board meeting.
• CSDA Conference. Trustees Mason Brutschy, Kati Martin, and Dr. Mairin Joseph-Talreja attended the annual meeting of the California Special Districts Association in Monterey on September 25-28. Assistant Manager Brian Weber also attended. The District received certificates for the District of Distinction award and the District Transparency Certificate of Excellence at the conference. Public Education and Outreach Officer Megan Sebay and Trustee Dr. Mairin Joseph-Talreja also attended the Governance Foundations Workshop on the day before the conference.
• Local chapter of California Special Districts Association (CSDA). The San Mateo County special districts met on October 3. District Manager Chindi Peavey, Board Secretary and newly elected LAFCo Alternate Special District Member Kati Martin, and Board Vice President Joe Galligan attended. The group voted to become a fully-affiliated Chapter of the CSDA. District Manager Chindi Peavey offered the District’s headquarters for future meetings and the group voted to accept the offer. The next meeting at 7:00 PM on February 6, 2018, will be held at the District Office on Rollins Rd.
• Some trustees are due to renew their Ethics Training and Harassment Prevention Training in the next few months. Office Administrator Devina Walker will be contacting trustees individually after October’s Board Meeting to sign you up for training.
• Devina Walker, Office Administrator, will be sending out reappointment letters this month to cities whose trustees appointments are expiring. Reappointments need to be made by the end of December. The following cities are due for reappointment: Burlingame, Colma, Foster City, Hillsborough, Pacifica, Redwood City, San Mateo County – At Large, and South San Francisco.
• Aedes aegypti mosquitoes have been found in the Cities of Tulare and
• The District’s new annual report is under construction and expected to be available in December. Megan Sebay is overseeing the development of the report and collecting sections of it from the Department Directors.
• BVA Oil Tank Replacement Project. BVA Oil is a refined mineral oil used to control mosquito larvae in underground drain lines. It is purchased in bulk and stored in an above ground tank in the yard. Installation of the new tanks is now complete and the final permits from the City of Burlingame have been received.
• A leak under a sink in the Laboratory upstairs caused water damage to the ceiling in the downstairs hallway in September. The damage has been repaired and the ceiling repainted.
• Audit Update. The auditor completed the onsite examination of District financial records on September 7 and is continuing to work with Financial Advisor Richard Arrow and Accountant Mary Leong. Paul Kaymark of PUN group spoke to the Finance committee on September 5 and will be doing additional work requested by the committee to review the District’s current internal controls. The audit is expected to be presented to the Board in November.

• Please let us know this month if you are interested in attending
• There will be a “Train the Trainer” workshop at this meeting by the American Mosquito Control Association on invasive Aedes mosquitoes. District Assistant Manager Brian Weber will participate.
• Newly signed legislation affecting Vector Control Districts

• AB 527 Pest control aircraft pilot’s certificate: unmanned aircraft. This bill relates to the requirements for licensing of drone operators using a drone for mosquito or other pest control. Current law requires drone operators to have a pilot’s license. This law changes the requirement for pest control applications to a requirement for a license from the Department of Pesticide Regulation and authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

September 2017 Laboratory Report

Sewer Baiting in Fair Oaks

In 2011/2012, lab staff conducted a study in Fair Oaks, an unincorporated area of San Mateo County adjacent to Redwood City, Atherton and Menlo Park, to assess the level of rat activity in the sewer system lines. The County of San Mateo had ended a program to routinely install rodenticide in the sewers. At the time, rat activity was negligible.

In September, District staff revisited the Fair Oaks area to begin collecting current data on rat activity in the sewers. With baling wire, 350 bait blocks are being securely positioned down in the sewer access points. Staff will return in three weeks to inspect bait blocks and sewer lines for common signs of rat activity, such as gnaw marks and droppings. The data will help us see if, after five years, rodent activity in the sewers has resurged in the absence of a baiting program, or has remained low as before.

Vector Ecologists Tara Roth and Warren Macdonald open a sewer manhole to install a rodent bait block.

Tick Diversity on Wild Rodents

To some people ticks may all look the same, but for Vector Ecologists at the San Mateo County Mosquito and Vector Control District, knowing the small differences among species can help us learn things such as the potential for disease transmission and distribution. San Mateo County is home to a variety of tick species, many of which residents are unlikely to encounter because of their highly specific habitats. Lab employees however, have the opportunity to collect ticks directly off wild animals when they are captured for disease surveys, in addition to routine tick flagging.

When identifying ticks, laboratory staff must use microscopes to look for a number of unique features that differ slightly among species. These key features may also vary depending on the life stage of the ticks (larva, nymph or adult). Below are a sample of the ticks of San Mateo County in the nymph stage that have been collected and photographed by laboratory staff.

Ixodes pacificus (The Western Black-Legged Tick)

The adult form of these ticks are often found “questing” on grasses or low shrubs near the sides of trails while the nymphs often in leaf litter or on rocks and fallen logs. This species is considered the main vector of a number of diseases including Lyme Disease and Human Granulocytic Anaplasmosis, the two most common tick-borne diseases in our county.

Ixodes spinipalpus

Though originally believed to be nidicolous (spending entire life in or near the nest of its host), some studies have shown that these ticks do exhibit some host seeking behavior. Though they may not encounter humans often, it is believed they play a role in disease cycles among rodents. The banana shape of their mouthparts, called palps, is the identifying characteristic of the larval and nymphal stages.

Ixodes angustus

A true nest-dwelling tick, Ixodes angustus prefer to feed on mice, voles, shrews, and rats. You can often find all life stages feeding simultaneously on the same host. SMCMVCD staff has collected them off of rodents in select coastal regions and on San Bruno Mountain. Larvae and nymphs have unique spurs on their palps. Ixodes angustus is also a vector of the Lyme disease spirochete

Dermacentor Spp. (The Pacific Coast Tick and The American Dog Tick)

Both Dermacentor occidentalis and Dermacentor variabilis are present in San Mateo County and present throughout the height of summer. Ticks in this genus can spread diseases such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) and Tularemia, although these diseases are rare in this county. Short mouthparts and ridges along the back of their abdomen called festoons help identify these species.

Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (The Rabbit Tick)

A widely distributed tick that feeds almost exclusively on rabbits. The rabbit tick does not play a prominent role in human disease transmission, but some labs have found individuals infected with Rickettsia rickettsia, the causative agent of Rocky Mountain Spotted F.ever Ticks in this genus have no eyes and must rely solely on their other senses when host seeking.

West Nile Virus Surveillance San Mateo County

As of September 28, 2017, there have been 320 dead birds reported in San Mateo County. Of those, 56 have been suitable for testing and 1 has tested positive (2%) for West Nile Virus (WNV). Nine dead squirrels and four mosquito pools have been tested for West Nile Virus in San Mateo County thus far this year, and none of them have tested positive.

The district asks residents to call in to report dead birds or tree squirrels. Specimens that appear to have been dead for less than 24 hours and are in good condition will be tested for WNV. Residents should contact the state WNV hotline at 877-WNV-BIRD (968-2473). Reports can also be made online at http://westnile.ca.gov.

California

WNV has been detected in 42 counties in 2017 (see map), compared to a five year average of 37 counties at this date. 174 human case of West Nile Virus has been reported in California this year, from seventeen counties, and there have been eight fatalities. Statewide, 6,513 birds have been reported and 1,676 have been tested with 405 positive results (24%). 3,116 mosquito pools have tested positive for West Nile Virus, compared to a five-year average of 2,742 positive mosquito pools at this time. 235 positive sentinel chickens has been reported from fourteen counties.

Operations Report for September 2017

• In September, we continued working on the Butano Marsh project in Pescadero. The goal of this portion of the project was to obtain 12 soil samples from the historical channel. We assisted by using our Argos to haul a private firm’s equipment and workers to these 12 sites. The ultimate goal of the project is to create a new channel that will prevent the road into Pescadero from flooding and reduce mosquito-breeding sites.
• During the month of September, district staff committed 206 hours to the Invasive Spartina Project or ISP. Through these applications, our staff treated 49 acres of Spartina (cordgrass) using backpacks and the airboat.
• Technicians responded to 552 service requests in the months of September. The majority of calls were for yellow jackets (296), mosquitoes (126), standing water (39) and rodents (64).
• 8 seasonal catch basin drivers treated 22,256 catch basins
• During September, District technicians inspected 207 acres of standing water on Bair Island. Although hundreds of acres were inspected, only 5 acres required treatment.
• We also participated in the Save the Bay clean up on Friday September 15th!!!

Public Health Education and Outreach Program September 2017

• Planning is underway for the annual Mosquito Awareness Week open house. A tentative date of Thursday, April 26th has been chosen; if this date conflicts with any major scheduled event in your city, please notify Megan as early as possible.
• September was National Preparedness Month. The District participated by placing content on the District homepage, in the September newsletter, and on social media. After natural disasters, a variety of pests and vectors may threaten human health, including mosquitoes, rodents, and wild and stray animals. More information is available at https://www.ready.gov/september.
• On Sept. 15th, the District participated in Coastal Cleanup Day by removing large debris from the bay adjacent to San Mateo. Photos of the cleanup effort can be found on the District website at https://www.smcmvcd.org/blog-post/CCD2017.
• Presentations and Events
• Traffic to the District website was down 10% in September compared to the previous month; this is consistent with typical seasonal fluctuations in traffic as we move into fall.
• Top 10 website pages in September 2017:
• Vector-borne disease in the news in September
• Work began on the FY16/17 annual report in September. The report will be completed this winter and distributed in advance of the Mosquito Awareness Week open house in April.

• Colma Wildlife Townhall, Sept. 20th – Living with Local Wildlife
• Public Health Education and Outreach Officer Megan Sebay attended CSDA Governance Foundations training on Sept. 25th, 2017.
• West Nile virus has killed 8 Californians this year. In parts of L.A. County, the risk is especially high, LA Times, Sept. 23, 2017 (http://lat.ms/2yEQ4lp)

• Yellowjackets & Wasps (identification and info) 6. Contact Us
• Online Service Request 7. Service Request Information & Instructions
• Yellowjackets & Wasps (what you can do) 8. Yellowjacket & Wasp Nest Removal
• Programs & Services 9. Rodents (landing page)
• Yellowjackets & Wasps (landing page) 10. Rodents (identification and info)

• Zika virus used to treat aggressive brain cancer, BBC, Sept. 1st, 2017 (http://bbc.in/2xzexfa)
• CDPH Confirms First Human West Nile Virus Deaths of 2017, CDPH, Sept. 1st, 2017 (http://bit.ly/2gpVxow)
###lihttp://bayareane.ws/2g4WbbR)
• South Reno resident contracts first case of Hantavirus since 2006, News 4-Fox 11, Sept. 19th, 2017 (http://bit.ly/2xaTcnV)
• New mosquito found in Merced County likes to live around people, Merced Sun-Star, Sept. 26th, 2017 (http://bit.ly/2kkZgJt)
• Los Angeles Officials Created A Rap Video For Mosquito Prevention, Newsweek, Sept. 29th, 2017 (http://bit.ly/2xbk0ZO)

o In A Case That Is ‘Almost Impossible’, Girl Dies Of Malaria In Italy, NPR, Sept. 5th, 2017 (http://n.pr/2x09ktP)

=

Robert Riechel

E=Mail: SanBrunoPatch.Robert@Yahoo.com

WEB: http://SanBrunoPatch.com

My Posts: http://patch.com/users/robert-riechel

Photo Credit: San Bruno CA Patch Archives

Source Credit: San Mateo County CA Mosquito & Vector Control District

Phone: 650-344-8592

Web Site: http://smcmvcd.org/

CLICK on link below to Subscribe to News Alerts and a Daily Email Newsletter for San Bruno Patch

http://link.patch.com/join/3-0-subscribe?list=US_CA_SANBRUNO_282

#SanBrunoPatch