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The Santa Clara County Vector Control District plans to treat the Palo Alto Flood Basin for mosquitoes on Wednesday.
The treatment will occur around 7:30 a.m. and will last a few hours, according to the county.
“Current environmental conditions create a high probability that a significant number of mosquitoes will become adults in a few days if left untreated,” said Vector Control District Manager Dr. Nayer Zahiri. “This treatment will significantly help reduce the mosquito population and eliminate a fly off of adult mosquitoes.”
Using a helicopter, Vector Control District staff will fly over the marshes to spray a “naturally occurring soil bacterium” that will be consumed by mosquito larvae and effectively stunt their growth, the county said in a news release.
The public is advised to avoid the area since the helicopter will reach low altitudes as it treats the area.
The Vector Control District, which monitors vector-borne diseases from insects and other wildlife, regularly surveils the marshes for winter salt marsh mosquitoes. The species is known to be effective carriers of the Western equine encephalitis, which can be transmitted to humans through a mosquito bite.
The agency has used this treatment method every year since 1992, the county said.
For more information on mosquito prevention, visit vector.sccgov.org.
How will this affect birds and other creatures that eat mosquitoes? More info , please.
Our bay lands are among the nations’ great sites for marshland bird watching. Eco systems are complex and delicately balanced. What does this mean for the marshland ecosystem?
To answer to the “how will it affect our birds” question, It will benefit them.
The mosquito population is being treated because of West Nile virus, which also infects humans and birds. It has been known to infect birds and cause death. I repeat.. death and infections in birds.
As if that is not bad enough, the West Nile can cause serious illness in humans. Extremely serious effects of West Nile include meningitis and meningoencephalitis. So before you assume decreasing mosquito population is terrible in a preserve, realize this would not be done unless absolutely required.
So treating mosquitos so all birds and humans can enjoy the beautiful preserve is a great thing. PSA: get rid of your standing water in your yards – it breeds mosquitos as well.