Even in dry desert months, mosquitoes can be a nuisance and pose a serious health hazard. The Maricopa County Department of Environmental Services has an annual monitoring program to install and monitor mosquito traps in problem areas or areas identified as mosquito breeding sites. The county deploys over 800 mosquito traps each week in these areas.

Mosquitoes have a serious impact on people’s health, comfort and economic well-being. High mosquito populations hinder outdoor work and recreation, undermine livestock weight, and reduce property values. Some species transmit diseases to humans and animals.

The county’s mosquito-monitoring program helps determine when, where, and how to control mosquitoes before people start getting sick. Are there mosquitoes? What kind of mosquito? Where are the water sources where mosquitoes lay their eggs and where mosquito larvae and pupae live? What bacteria do they spread? Do Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered insecticides effectively kill local mosquitoes? Do current mosquito control technologies work?

After collecting the data, Vector Control uses the information gathered through mosquito monitoring to plan control activities such as ground spraying. When Vector Control experts discover that local mosquitoes are spreading viruses (West Nile, Dengue, Zika, etc.), they step up activities identified in mosquito control programs.

Mosquito eggs hatch into larvae and then into pupae. Both larvae and pupae live in still water. One way to get rid of the larvae is to dump or remove standing water in and around your home. Larvicides kill larvae due to standing water that cannot be disposed of or drained. Larvicides are products used to kill mosquito larvae before they reach adulthood.

In Fountain Hills, the county determines a control plan that includes problematic areas that fog up the ground using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered larvicides and insecticides. The county will post a calendar notice of the spray schedule at: www.maricopa.gov/632/Vector-ControlYou can also find trap locations set by Vector Control in Fountain Hills.

Everyone is responsible for eliminating and preventing mosquito breeding on their property. Mosquitoes lay their eggs on or near water because the larvae need water to survive. Standing water can be removed to reduce mosquito larvae before they become adult mosquitoes. Once a week, tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, bird baths, flower pot saucers, trash cans, and other water-filled objects should be emptied and scrubbed, turned over, covered, or thrown away. there is.

Learn more about how to control mosquitoes outside your home. Stagnant water that cannot be discarded or drained, such as rain barrels and pool lids, can be treated with a larvicide. Always follow label directions.

Controlling larvae and pupae prior to adulthood minimizes the need for extensive use of insecticides to kill adult mosquitoes.

Adult mosquitoes can spread viruses that cause disease, such as West Nile and dengue. If surveillance activity indicates an increase in adult mosquito populations, the county may decide to apply adulticides to kill adult mosquitoes. Adulticides help reduce the number of adult mosquitoes in an area and reduce the risk of people getting sick.

For more information about the Maricopa County Environmental Services and Vector Control Department, call 602-506-0700 or www.maricopa.gov/632/Vector-Control.

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