FAQs & Links

FAQs & Links

  1. How do I report mosquito problems?
  2. Please call (802) 247-6779 and speak to a representative, who will forward your information to the OCW Operations Coordinator. When submitting a service request, please be prepared to provide the following information to assist our technicians in responding to your request:

Name
E-911 address
Contact telephone number(s)
Email address
Description of problem

  1. When I report mosquito problems, how long before I can expect a spray truck in my area?
  2. There are many factors that must be considered when deciding to spray a particular area. First, we can only spray in an area when our own surveillance and insect trapping shows that established adult mosquito population thresholds have been met. Second, weather conditions (temperature, rain, and wind) must be favorable for spraying. Third, the magnitude of the nuisance in your area compared to elsewhere in the district. Fourth, when the spray route you are on was last treated. That’s a long way of saying that you might receive treatment that evening if all the foregoing factors align… or it may take several days.
  3. If I am having an outside gathering at my residence, can I request a treatment for a specific day?

A:  Yes! If you are having a large outdoor gathering, such as a wedding, graduation party, or family reunion, please contact us at (802) 247-6779 four to seven days ahead and we will try to treat your property the day before, weather permitting.

Q:  How do I request NOT to be sprayed?

  1. No Spray Zone requests can be submitted at any time but preferably before April 15th each year. Requests received after April 15th will be honored, but there could be a delay between receipt of the request and marking the property, which could result in the property being sprayed.

If a No Spray Zone request was NOT submitted for the preceding year and/or there have been changes in ownership, contact information, or property boundaries, a letter must be submitted listing the name(s) of the property owner(s), his/her/their contact telephone numbers, the E-911 address of the property, and include a property map which clearly shows the property boundaries along the public or private road(s). The OCW mailing address is: PO Box 188, Brandon, VT 05733.

If a No Spray Zone request WAS submitted for the preceding year AND there have been no changes in ownership, contact information, or property boundaries, an email to the OCW containing the E-911 address and requesting No Spray Zone status again for the current year will suffice. The OCW email address is: ocwicd@gmail.com.

  1. Who are the sprayers?
  2. The sprayers are people just like you! They have been licensed by the State of Vermont as commercial pesticide applicators after having studied for and passed State of Vermont examination 7B, Vector Pest Control. That examination applies to non-public health applicators who use or supervise the use of a pesticide for the control of mosquitoes, ticks, and other biting arthropods.
  1. Is the spray hazardous to my health?
  2. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates mosquito control pesticides through enforcement of standards in the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act. That legislation mandates extensive testing of insecticides for public health impacts prior to their registration by the EPA and approval for use. The required testing is among the most stringent required by the government and is supported through ongoing research by scientists in federal, state and private institutions. This process ensures that insecticides available for mosquito control do not represent human health or environmental risks when used as directed. Indeed, the half dozen adulticides (pesticides used to control adult mosquitos) currently approved for use in Vermont are the select survivors of literally hundreds of products developed for these uses over the years. The dosages at which these products are legally dispensed are at least 100-fold less than the point where public health and environmental safety would be affected. Literature posted on the websites of the EPA Office of Pesticide Programs, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American Association of Pesticide Safety Educators, and the National Pesticide Information Center emphasize that proper use of mosquito control pesticides by established mosquito control agencies does not put the public or the environment at unreasonable risk from exposure, runoff, or leaching, when used according to label specifications. For the federal government’s position on risks associated with mosquito control pesticides, visit http:/www.epa.gov/pesticides. Well over 200 peer-reviewed scientific studies in national and international journals since 1980 have documented the safety and efficacy of these insecticides when applied at the rates mandated on their labels.

Q:  I am concerned about EEE and WNV. Where can I find reliable information on these diseases?

A:      Please visit the Mosquito-Borne Diseases tab on this website.

Some useful links:

Abstract

Mosquito vectors lay their white eggs in the aquatic milieu. During early embryogenesis water passes freely through the transparent eggshell, which at this moment is composed of exochorion and endochorion. Within two hours the endochorion darkens via melanization but even so eggs shrink and perish if removed from moisture. However, during mid-embryogenesis, cells of the extraembryonic serosa secrete the serosal cuticle, localized right below the endochorion, becoming the third and innermost eggshell layer. Serosal cuticle formation greatly reduces water flow and allows egg survival outside the water. The degree of egg resistance to desiccation (ERD) at late embryogenesis varies among different species: Aedes aegypti, Anopheles aquasalis and Culex quinquefasciatus eggs can survive in a dry environment for ≥ 72, 24 and 5 hours, respectively. In some adult insects, darker-body individuals show greater resistance to desiccation than lighter ones. We asked if egg melanization enhances mosquito serosal cuticle-dependent ERD. Species with higher ERD at late embryogenesis exhibit more melanized eggshells. The melanization-ERD hypothesis was confirmed employing two Anopheles quadrimaculatus strains, the wild type and the mutant GORO, with a dark-brown and a golden eggshell, respectively. In all cases, serosal cuticle formation is fundamental for the establishment of an efficient ERD but egg viability outside the water is much higher in mosquitoes with darker eggshells than in those with lighter ones. The finding that pigmentation influences egg water balance is relevant to understand the evolutionary history of insect egg coloration. Since eggshell and adult cuticle pigmentation ensure insect survivorship in some cases, they should be considered regarding species fitness and novel approaches for vector or pest insects control.

Full article here: http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0006063

Abstract

Surveillance for diurnal container-inhabiting mosquitoes such as Aedes albopictus (Skuse), Aedes japonicus japonicus (Theobald), and Aedes triseriatus (Say) have routinely relied on the deployment of multiple trap types, including CO2-baited light traps, gravid traps, oviposition traps, and BG-Sentinel. These trap configurations have met with varying degrees of effectiveness and in many instances likely under-sample these key mosquito vectors. Most recently, the BG-Sentinel trap used in conjunction with the human-scent lure has been largely accepted as the gold-standard for monitoring Ae. albopictus. However, its ability to attract other container-inhabiting Aedes species has not been fully evaluated. During 2018, we tested new scent lures, TrapTech Lure-A and Lure-H (Bedoukian Research, Inc.), using BG-Sentinel traps with CO2 in two regions of Connecticut, Stamford and Hamden, against the BG-Lure. Pooled mosquitoes were additionally screened for arbovirus infection. A total of 47,734 mosquitoes representing 8 genera and 32 species were captured during the study, with the Stamford site deriving on average three times as many mosquitoes per trap, adjusting for sampling effort. Lure-A and Lure-H outperformed the BG-Lure in terms of total numbers, diversity evenness, and the proportion of both Ae. j. japonicus and Ae. triseriatus. There were no significant differences among lures in capturing Ae. albopictus, and in terms of species richness. Fifty-seven isolates of virus (West Nile, Jamestown Canyon, and La Crosse viruses) were obtained during the study, with no significant difference between trap-lure. We highlight both novel lures as effective attractants for use in mosquito surveillance=, which either outperform, or equal, BG-Lure.

https://academic.oup.com/jme/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/jme/tjz200/5686812?redirectedFrom=fulltext

A new study from researchers at the University of North Dakota found that Aedes vexans, a mosquito species indigenous to North America, has the capability to transmit Zika. This is the first native North American mosquito species shown to be able to transmit the virus. The results are published today in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

Full article here: https://entomologytoday.org/2017/05/12/study-finds-native-north-american-mosquito-can-transmit-zika/