Fairfax County Kicks Off Mosquito Control Awareness Week

Summertime, and the livin' is easy...or so the song goes. But one thing that isn't easy about summer? Moquitoes or to be more precise: mosquito bites.

Fairfax County is getting the word out beginning Sunday as it kicks off Mosquito Control Awareness Week.

Mosquito season runs from May through October. During this time, the county's Disease Carrying Insects Program (DCIP) sets nearly 4,000 traps to collect mosquitoes. Many of the mosquitoes collected from these traps are tested for West Nile virus.

The county also is on the lookout for mosquito breeding grounds. Known as Larval (Immature) Mosquitoes, the county said it is easiest to control mosquitoes in their aquatic larval stage.

Fairfax County encourages residents to eliminate mosquito larval habitats around their homes, in their communities and neighborhoods.

When routine breeding site inspections on county property indicate high larval (immature) mosquito populations, these areas are treated with a larvicide.  If the risk of West Nile virus transmission is high, the county coordinates larval and/or adult mosquito control measures in public areas as necessary.

Program staff are available to investigate and respond to citizens’ concerns and complaints regarding West Nile virus, mosquitoes, ticks and other insect-borne diseases.  Advice is given via phone at (703) 246-2300 or e-mail, and, in certain cases, home visits are made in order to address and resolve the situation. 

The county gives these tips to keep mosquitoes from biting:

• Wear long, loose and light-colored clothing.
• Use insect repellent products with no more than 30 percent DEET for adults and children that are two months of age or older.
• Follow instructions when using insect repellents.
• Check window and door screens to ensure that mosquitoes don't enter the home.
• Eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites around your home

What is the best way to prevent mosquito breeding?

• Turn over or remove containers in your yard where rainwater collects, such as potted plant trays, buckets, or toys.
• Remove old tires from your yard.
• Clean roof gutters and downspout screens.
• Eliminate standing water on flat roofs, boats, and tarps
• Empty birdbaths once a week.

Is there a mosquito danger from wetlands?

In naturally occurring ponds where there are frogs, minnows, and dragonflies there is no need to put a larvicide in the water since these animals are natural predators of mosquitoes and keep the mosquito population low.

What is a Mosquito Magnet ® and does it actually work?

A Mosquito Magnet ® is a commercial biting insect abatement system. The device uses a standard 20-pound tank of propane to emit a warm, moist stream of carbon dioxide, heat, octenol attractant (registered EPA pesticide) and moisture that pests mistake for the exhaled breath of their warm-blooded prey. As the insects approach the source, they are vacuumed into the net where they dehydrate and die. In 4-6 weeks, the breeding cycle is interrupted as egg-laying females are destroyed. Because it only attracts bloodseeking insects such as mosquitoes and noseeums, beneficial insects such as butterflies, bees, and moths are not affected.

Octenol (1-octen-3-ol) may also be used to increase the attraction of the mosquitoes and other biting insects to the trap. Octenol is a naturally occurring by-product that comes from plants and some animals, such as oxen and cows, which ingest large amounts of vegetable matter. The octenol is in the form of a packet with a peel-off top that is inserted into the Mosquito Magnet ®. The octenol needs to be replaced every 21 days.

Whether or not using a Mosquito Magnet ® in your yard will actually reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home is a matter of controversy. There are those who have used this device with great success and others who have not. The county does not endorse this product or advocate its use or disuse.

Interesting facts about mosquitoes, courtesy of Fairfax County:

• There are about 3000 different kinds of mosquitoes and a worldwide population of 100 trillion
• There are over 170 described species of mosquitoes from North America. Several species have been accidentally introduced from other parts of the world.
• Most mosquitoes are found in tropical climates, but there are some species in arctic and desert regions.
• Only female mosquitoes bite. They require a blood meal in order to develop eggs. Most female mosquitoes lay their eggs on standing water. Stagnant ponds, ditches and fresh or salt water wetlands are preferred, but even a few tablespoons of water in a flower pot or old tire will do. The eggs hatch, become swimming larvae, develop into pupae, and finally into flying adults. Mosquito larvae are an important source of food for certain fish, birds, bats and other animals.