Mosquito Control Program
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Seasonal Program (May-September Annually)
The Tuscarawas County Health Department’s immediate priority is to prepare for, and take preventive measures, to reduce the potential of the West Nile Virus (WNV) and other mosquito-borne diseases. The Department emphasizes a coordinated Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach to minimize the public health threat from mosquito-borne diseases, by utilizing proven sound mosquito control techniques recommended by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). IPM utilizes a variety of control techniques and evaluation procedures that includes:
The prevention of any mosquito-borne disease is most efficiently accomplished by the residents knowing how to recognize potential mosquito breeding sites on their property, and taking appropriate actions to eliminate these breeding sites. What the Health Department will do:
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2023 Mosquito Control Program Activities
Below are the Townships, Villages, and Municipalities who opted into TCHD's program for 2023:
Auburn Township
Dover City
Dover Township
Fairfield Township
Mill Township
Uhrichsville City
Village of Dennison
Village of Tuscarawas
Village of Strasburg
Warwick Township
York Township
Dover City
Dover Township
Fairfield Township
Mill Township
Uhrichsville City
Village of Dennison
Village of Tuscarawas
Village of Strasburg
Warwick Township
York Township
CHEMICAL CONTROL METHODS UTILIZED
The CDC recommends that chemical control applications should be dependent on set threshold levels (CDC, 2003). This simply means that a certain defined risk needs to exist before particular chemical control measures are implemented. The most commonly used chemical control treatments are larvicide and adulticide. Larviciding and adutlticiding is recognized by the CDC and other federal health authorities as critical program elements in reducing public health threats from mosquito-borne diseases. Given the relative importance and capabilities of source reduction and larviciding to reduce the breeding of mosquitoes, such activities will be undertaken before adulticiding. It is acknowledged that source reduction and larviciding cannot completely eliminate adult mosquito populations. Should surveillance data indicate increased mosquito population(s) and/or the presence of an arbovirus that poses a risk to public health, adulticiding can help reduce such populations over a large area in a relatively short period. Larviciding would only help reduce populations of future generations, but would not affect existing adult mosquitoes, which are infected or could be infected.
Larvicide
The Health Department will utilize EPA approved larvicides that will be applied according to the manufacturer’s directions. Larviciding is an important control mechanism since the objective of larviciding is to control the immature stages at the breeding sties before adult populations have had a chance to disperse, and to maintain populations levels at which the risk of arbovirus transmission is minimal
The staff will utilize a larviciding program in combination with surveillance and source reduction to control mosquito larvae before they develop into biting adults. The staff will inspect locations that are known to have the potential to hold water and breed mosquitoes.
Larvicide efforts will include, but not be limited to, the following mosquito breeding sites on public property:
Adulticide (Spraying)
It will be standard procedure for the Health Department to only use pesticides meant for adult mosquitoes as a last resort to control adult mosquito populations. The Department will only use adulticiding chemicals that have been tested, registered, and approved by the EPA. The Health Department’s decision to use pesticides will be based the CDC’s recommendation that mosquito adulticiding should only be used in situations where surveillance data indicates that it is necessary to reduce the density of adult mosquito populations quickly to lower the risk of WNV or other mosquito-borne diseases.
Adulticiding is the application of pesticides to kill adult mosquitoes. The ability to control adult mosquitoes is an important component of any IPM program. The Department will use chemical control measures in accordance with the CDC and the Ohio Department of Health’s recommended thresholds based on the analysis of either larval or adult mosquito surveillance, or other available field data. These thresholds are:
The Health Department will use the following guidelines when applying adulticides:
The CDC recommends that chemical control applications should be dependent on set threshold levels (CDC, 2003). This simply means that a certain defined risk needs to exist before particular chemical control measures are implemented. The most commonly used chemical control treatments are larvicide and adulticide. Larviciding and adutlticiding is recognized by the CDC and other federal health authorities as critical program elements in reducing public health threats from mosquito-borne diseases. Given the relative importance and capabilities of source reduction and larviciding to reduce the breeding of mosquitoes, such activities will be undertaken before adulticiding. It is acknowledged that source reduction and larviciding cannot completely eliminate adult mosquito populations. Should surveillance data indicate increased mosquito population(s) and/or the presence of an arbovirus that poses a risk to public health, adulticiding can help reduce such populations over a large area in a relatively short period. Larviciding would only help reduce populations of future generations, but would not affect existing adult mosquitoes, which are infected or could be infected.
Larvicide
The Health Department will utilize EPA approved larvicides that will be applied according to the manufacturer’s directions. Larviciding is an important control mechanism since the objective of larviciding is to control the immature stages at the breeding sties before adult populations have had a chance to disperse, and to maintain populations levels at which the risk of arbovirus transmission is minimal
The staff will utilize a larviciding program in combination with surveillance and source reduction to control mosquito larvae before they develop into biting adults. The staff will inspect locations that are known to have the potential to hold water and breed mosquitoes.
Larvicide efforts will include, but not be limited to, the following mosquito breeding sites on public property:
- Curb and gutter;
- Tree-holes and rock-pools;
- Vegetated edges of lakes and creeks;
- Culverts, catch basins, ornamental fountains, pools; and
- Manhole covers, storm water inlets, and discharge areas.
Adulticide (Spraying)
It will be standard procedure for the Health Department to only use pesticides meant for adult mosquitoes as a last resort to control adult mosquito populations. The Department will only use adulticiding chemicals that have been tested, registered, and approved by the EPA. The Health Department’s decision to use pesticides will be based the CDC’s recommendation that mosquito adulticiding should only be used in situations where surveillance data indicates that it is necessary to reduce the density of adult mosquito populations quickly to lower the risk of WNV or other mosquito-borne diseases.
Adulticiding is the application of pesticides to kill adult mosquitoes. The ability to control adult mosquitoes is an important component of any IPM program. The Department will use chemical control measures in accordance with the CDC and the Ohio Department of Health’s recommended thresholds based on the analysis of either larval or adult mosquito surveillance, or other available field data. These thresholds are:
- When a particular trap location has over 200 female mosquitoes in one night of trapping;
- When a mosquito pool (one trap’s catch of mosquitoes) has tested positive for WNV
- When the Tuscarawas County Health Department or the Ohio Department of Health reports a suspected human case of WNV or other mosquito borne illness in the County
- When the Tuscarawas County Health Department or the Ohio Department of Health reports a confirmed human case of WNV or other mosquito borne illness in the County
- When the Tuscarawas County Health Department is notified of a confirmed equine case of WNV in the County
The Health Department will use the following guidelines when applying adulticides:
- Spraying shall be conducted between dusk and dawn;
- Notify, the citizens when an area is being sprayed;
- When weather conditions are inappropriate for spraying a new notification must be issued;
- Publish spraying area(s) information on the Health Department’s website and social media pages;
- In the case of an arbovirus event, the location of the positive site shall be sprayed a minimum of two times;
- Do not spray if the wind speed is below 1 MPH, or exceeds 10 MPH;
- Do not apply pesticides just before or during a rain even
Additional Information: