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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem No. 01 - Northwest Mosquito and Vector Control District SlideNORTHWEST MOSQUITO & VECTOR CONTROL DISTRICT LAKE ELSINORE UPDATE Presenter: Dr. Mark Breidenbaugh District Manager YEAR -END REVIEW 2022 By the Numbers 2022 •Thousands of mosquitoes trapped, females sorted & tested in 23 pooled aggregates, 0 positive pools of West Nile virus •Inspections: 7,093 •Treatments: 663 •Service Requests: 330 (mosquitoes, bees, rodents) Q: Are some people more prone to mosquito bites? If you think you might be the person most likely to get bitten by a mosquito… you may really be more attractive than others.... If this topic is of an immediate interest to you, again, you are not alone: It is one of the most common questions asked to entomologists and mosquito control professionals. A Google scholar search for “different-humans-mosquito- attraction” yields: 36,000 results. This is a highly-studied question. That mosquitoes are likely to bite some people more often than others is scientific fact! You can complain at your leisure, you have science on your side. Q: Why are some people more likely to be bit? Bottom line: Smell Some of the factors are: -Blood type : a study found that mosquitoes landed on people with Type O blood nearly twice as often as those with Type A) - Carbon dioxide : If you are a larger person, you probably release more carbon dioxide as you breathe - Exercise and metabolism : lactic acid, uric acid, ammonia, etc these are components of sweat - Skin bacteria: USDA scientists point to our feet as a culprit - Beer : Yep, just one 12-oz beer can increase the feast - Pregnancy : Since pregnant women tend to have a warmer body temperature… totally unfair! Q: How do I protect myself? -The number one way is to avoid mosquitoes -Eliminate standing water on your property and encourage neighbors to do the same -Avoid times when mosquitoes are active, which is generally evening, but different species are active at different times -Wear an U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) registered repellant -DEET (20% formula is plenty for about 4 hrs of protection). Some other scientifically proven formulas are: IR 3535, Picaridin, and Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus. Note that all of these are applied to exposed skin, not clothes.