Our Community in Fairfax County, Virginia
Mosquitoes are more than buzzing, pesky summer insects that can eat up a pleasant evening outdoors or make gardening into a challenge of wills. They can affect the health of humans because of their ability to transmit diseases as they feed on animal and human blood. Recently health officials have become concerned that some mosquito species may carry a disease known as West Nile virus, which can cause flu-like symptoms and, in rare instances, death.
Mosquitoes need only a few tablespoons of standing water to breed. Running streams and creeks or ponds with predators such as fish, tadpoles, or dragonflies are not good mosquito habitat; on the contrary, in such functioning aquatic habitats, the mosquito plays an important role as a food source.
The Fairfax County Health Department ahs developed a program of putting biological control agents in the many catch basins throughout the county to control mosquitoes in their larval state. It has also enlisted all citizens in an effort to protect themselves against mosquitoes and thereby the possibility of getting the West Nile virus.
Most mosquitoes are actually poor fliers. So if you are being bitten, they are probably breeding around your home. And that's an environment you can control. To eliminate mosquito breeding, eliminate areas with standing water where mosquitoes lay their eggs and where their larvae grow and live. Empty water from toys, wheelbarrows, wagons, unused hot tubs, rain barrels, flat roofs, plastic drainpipes and in-ground pipes. Clean and change water in bird baths every five to seven days.
Cover canoes and other boats with a tight-fitting tarp or turn them upside down. Change water in wading pools regularly or turn them upside down. Clean out leaves and debris that may be blocking water in roof gutters. Store old tires where they can't collect rainwater. Remove sagging areas in tarps on woodpiles or garden equipment. Store, remove or turn upside down trashcans and lids, buckets, bottles, flowerpots, and pet water bowls.
To avoid being bitten by the adult mosquitoes, make sure all window and door screens are free of cracks and holes the mosquitoes could use as entry. Use yellow "bug lights" for outdoor lighting. Wear long sleeves and long pants outside or working in the garden. Use insect repellant on clothing or on skin that is not covered. Products that contain DEET are effective, but be certain to follow the labeled instructions closely.
For more information on protecting yourself from mosquitoes and on the issue of the West Nile virus, check the Fairfax County Health Department's web site at www.fairfaxcounty.gov/service/hd.
Mosquito Control Program
Fairfax County Health Department
10777 Main Street, Suite 102, Fairfax, Virginia 22030
(703) 246-2300
Revised: October 1996
Mosquitoes can give you "plenty to scratch about"! In certain areas they interfere with outdoor activities and make life miserable.
Mosquitoes breed in all sorts of still water. Running creeks or ponds with any water movement or with predators such as fish, frogs, and dragonflies are not suitable habitats for mosquitoes.
Some mosquitoes can fly several miles but most remain near the water source where they developed.
The female mosquito sucks blood in order to produce eggs. (Male mosquitoes do not bite.) Most types of mosquitoes prefer to feed on animals other than humans, such as birds, horses, and cows. But you come in handy if these hosts are not available.
The female deposits eggs on still water or in moist places that will alter become flooded. Larvae, known as "wigglers", hatch from the eggs and feed on organic debris in the water. In warm weather, the larvae can be fully grown in a week. They then change into pupae, or "tumblers", a non-feeding stage from which the adult mosquito emerges after two or three days.
Some species of mosquitoes may transmit diseases, such as malaria to man, encephalitis to man and horses, and heartworm to dogs. Fortunately, human diseases are rarely transmitted by mosquitoes in our area. But the potential always exists for an outbreak.
There are approximately 30 different kinds of mosquitoes in Fairfax County, and 10 of these are common pests.
However, what looks like a mosquito may not always be a mosquito. Midges are flies that look very much like mosquitoes--but they don't bite!
If mosquitoes are a problem where you live, make sure that you are not providing breeding sites in your own yard. Check the following:
When visiting an area with lots of mosquitoes, wear long sleeves and long pants. Use an aerosol or lotion insect repellent; most contain diethlytoluamide, also called deet.
If you do get bitten, keep the bite area clean and avoid scratching. Alcohol or ice applied to the bite will reduce the itching. If the itching or inflammation is extreme, or if infection is suspected, see your physician.