Mosquito Control
WE NEED YOUR HELP! This is what YOU can do!
Educating the public about mosquitoes and how to control them is the first place to start when trying to reduce mosquito populations. In many cases, residents; once they know where to look, can identify and eliminate potential mosquito breeding habitats around their homes and neighborhood.
Most mosquitoes travel less than a mile from where they hatched to bite, so we need the public’s help in eliminating mosquito breeding sites. TFCPAD samples and treats most major breeding sites through the county, but little things such as water in a coffee can, can produce 10,000 mosquitoes during the season!
Remember WATER + 7 DAYS = MOSQUITOES
Drain, Flush, or Treat standing water to eliminate Mosquitoes.
How We Fight Mosquitoes
Monitoring
Our crew is out all summer monitoring mosquito activity. Through a combination of counting larvae from a cup of water and putting up hanging traps in trees to trap adult mosquitoes, we can keep track of problem areas that require treatment.
Treatment
TFCPAD focuses on larvicidal treatment for mosquitoes. This means we treat water sources to kill mosquito larvae before they become adults. This is a safe and effective way of controlling mosquito populations and our treatments are nontoxic to people, animals, and fish.
Testing
Once we have adult mosquitoes in our traps, we bring them back to our lab to keep count of species and test for West Nile to see if it’s been detected in our area.
What You Can Do to Help
Empty it
Empty all water holding containers at least once a week. Children's wading pools, rain barrels, buckets, bird baths, livestock watering troughs and stored boats are prime examples of mosquito breeding sites.
Remove Old Tires & Debris
Twice a year we team with Southern Idaho Solid Waste for Tire Amnesty Day. You can turn in 4 tires (without rims) for free. Tires and other piled junk collect water and are hot spots for mosquito larvae.
Check Your Landscaping
Keep your lawn mowed as short as possible. Keep all trees, shrubs and bushes trimmed, and cut all low, dense under-growth surrounding your yard. This is where mosquitoes go to hide during the day.
Avoid Dawn/Dusk
Plan outdoor activities and parties during daylight hours or later in the evening. Many mosquitoes are most active at dusk and for about an hour after dusk.
Irrigate Responsibly
Minimize standing water in fields to less than four days by improving drainage channels. Tail waters should not be allowed to accumulate for more than 4 days at the end of the field. Keep ditches clean of heavy vegetation and have repaired to reduce seepage and flooding.
Volunteer With Us
Once a year we rely on volunteer help to catch, measure, and count our stock of bluegill fish at Dierkes Lake. Bluegill Fish are a noninvasive species that LOVE mosquitoes!
What to Do When You Can’t Eliminate the Water?
Many safe and effective products are available for mosquito larval control at most local home and garden stores. Recommended products contain Bti (Bacillus thuringiensis sub. israeliensis) or Altosid (methoprene). More information on products can be found on our Product Labels Page. If you’re not able to treat yourself, please request a treatment from the District below.
West Nile Virus
Mosquito-borne encephalitis in the U. S. is prevalent in several forms and is geographically wide-spread. The Western Equine and St. Louis viral strains were the most common before the invasion of West Nile Virus. West Nile Virus first showed up in Idaho in 2004 and in 2006 Idaho led the nation in reports of human illness associated with WNV with 996 cases being reported to the state health department. Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain and central nervous system, and is characterized by a high to moderate mortality rate, with some survivors left with permanent physical and mental disabilities. Contact the Health department or you doctor for more information.
For More information visit https://healthandwelfare.idaho.gov/health-wellness/diseases-conditions/west-nile-virus