Show All Answers

1. I heard that putting up purple martin houses and bat houses will help prevent West Nile virus because those animals eat mosquitoes. Is this true?

While it is true that certain types of birds and bats eat mosquitoes, putting up bird and bat houses on your property will not necessarily help prevent the transmission of the West Nile Virus. Several agencies have tried to control mosquitoes by using birds, bats, dragonflies, and frogs. However, according to the American Mosquito Control Association, there is no proof that bats, purple martins, or other animals that eat insects are able to eat enough adult mosquitoes to make a difference.

One reason for this is because purple martins fly and eat during the day and most mosquitoes are active at night. In addition, most bats eat June bugs and moths but do not eat mosquitoes. Also, bats can transmit the rabies virus, and encouraging them to live in your yard could pose a health risk to your family and neighbors.

2. My community won't spray for mosquitoes. Therefore, my town has no mosquito control and the citizens are at risk for West Nile Virus. Any tips?

Mosquito control can be divided into two areas of responsibility - individual and public. Public spraying to control mosquitoes is just one of many pest control methods used for effective long-term mosquito control. The reduction, elimination, or treatment of mosquito breeding areas is the best and most cost-effective technique for mosquito control. The most important things you and the citizens of your community can do to reduce the risk of exposure to the West Nile Virus are to eliminate mosquito-breeding areas in your environment and limit your exposure to feeding mosquitoes. Many female mosquitoes can lay 100 to 300 eggs on the surface of fresh or stagnant water every third night during its life span.

 Here are some simple things you can do to eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites in your environment:

• Do not allow water to accumulate in:
  • Saucers of flowerpots
  • Urns
  • Kiddie pools
  • Tires
  • Tin cans
  • In pet dishes for more than 2 days
• Consistently check areas that collect water and drain them.
• Get rid of tin cans, old tires, buckets, unused kiddie pools, or other containers that collect and hold water.
• Clean debris from rain gutters, remove standing water from flat roofs, and repair leaks around faucets and air conditioners.
• Change the water in birdbaths and wading pools at least every 3 to 4 days.
• Fill or drain puddles, ditches, and swampy areas.
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, outdoor saunas, and hot tubs.
• Check for trapped water in plastic or canvas tarps used to cover boats or pools, and arrange the tarp to drain the water.
• If ditches do not flow and contain stagnant water for a week or longer, report this problem to your town or city.
• Clean out livestock water troughs on a weekly basis or stock them with the mosquitofish, Gambusia affinis, which feed on mosquito larvae in the water.
• If you are unable to drain an area with standing water, such as an abandoned swimming pool, animal watering troughs, or small, shallow ponds, consider the use of a larvicide product with Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (BTI). These products are known as mosquito "dunks" or "donuts," and the BTI bacteria kill mosquito larvae, but will not harm plants or animals. Follow all product information for safe handling and use.
• Be a good neighbor: help those who are unable to drain standing water on their property, to eliminate breeding sites in your neighborhood.

3. My neighbor says you can get West Nile Virus from handling dead birds. Is this true?

No. West Nile Virus is spread to humans mainly through the bite from an infected mosquito. There is no proof that West Nile virus can be spread from person to person or from animal to person.

4. I found a dead bird in my yard today and the Department of State Health Services will not test it. How can we be tested for this deadly disease?

West Nile Virus transmission to people only occurs from the bite of an infected mosquito. Keep in mind, most people who become infected with West Nile Virus will have no symptoms at all. About 20% of people infected with West Nile Virus may develop mild flu-like symptoms. Less than 1% of those bitten by infected mosquitoes become severely ill. 

To be tested for the West Nile Virus, you should contact your health-care provider. If necessary, a blood sample will be taken and sent to a laboratory for testing. Some states and jurisdictions are no longer collecting dead birds because they have sufficiently established that the virus is in an area, and additional testing will not reveal any more information. Shifting resources away from testing of dead birds allows those resources to be devoted elsewhere in surveillance and control.

5. My neighbor's bug zappers keep me awake all night. He says he got several zappers to protect his family from West Nile virus because they kill mosquitoes. I say they don't work. Who is right?

You are right. Studies show that they actually attract mosquitoes into your yard. In addition, most insects killed by bug zappers include moths, beetles, and other harmless bugs - not mosquitoes. Mosquito control products are big business. 

Americans have invested billions of dollars in zappers, repellers, and other products that claim they will keep pesky mosquitoes from biting. In almost every case, the merits of the product are rarely backed with scientific testing. All products should be thoroughly researched before you purchase them. Your best bet would be to use a proven method for keeping your home and property mosquito-free.

6. Why do some areas stop collecting dead birds?

Some states and jurisdictions are no longer collecting dead birds because they have sufficiently established that the virus is in an area, and additional testing will not reveal any more information. Shifting resources away from testing of dead birds allows those resources to be devoted elsewhere in surveillance and control.