Mosquitoes can do much more than ruin your cookouts this summer. A bite from the pesky insect can make you sick.
“Mosquitoes transmit disease. … It’s not something to be taken lightly,” said Clark County Public Health Officer Dr. Alan Melnick.
West Nile Virus is more common in mosquitoes in Eastern Washington, and Clark County has never had a positive test result in a mosquito sample, according to a Clark County news release, but “that doesn’t mean it can’t occur here,” Melnick cautioned.
The Clark County Mosquito Control District has begun to monitor floodwater and wetlands — common mosquito breeding areas.
Avoiding bites
Public Health recommends these steps to avoid mosquito bites:
• Install or repair screens on windows and doors.
• When practical, wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, shoes, socks and hats outside, especially in wooded areas.
• Place mosquito netting over infant carriers when outdoors.
• Use Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellents, including those with DEET, picaridin, IR3535 and oil of lemon eucalyptus. Use especially at dawn and dusk.
“Recent sampling at those locations revealed significant numbers of mosquito larvae, with the potential for as many as 8 million mosquitoes per acre,” the release read.
Over the next several days, the district plans to use a helicopter to treat 800 to 1,000 acres of floodplains and wetlands at 20 to 30 locations between Ridgefield and the area south of Vancouver Lake, according to the release.
That treatment method, which includes a naturally occurring soil bacterium that kills mosquitoes, is an effective way to reduce mosquito populations before the larvae hatch and become adults.
According to the news release, Clark County residents can take steps at home to stop mosquitoes from breeding on their property:
• Drain standing water from old tires, flower pots, buckets, plastic tarps and wheelbarrows.
• Change water in bird baths, ponds, wading pools, pet bowls and animal troughs twice a week.
• Repair leaking faucets and sprinklers; clean clogged gutters.
• Properly maintain swimming pools.
• Check for containers or trash in hard-to-see places, such as under bushes.
• Report standing water to the Mosquito Control District by calling 360-397-8430 or submitting a service request online.
