LUBBOCK, Texas -
All the rain is leaving a lot of standing water in and around Lubbock, which means you may have a lot of cleaning up to do. On Thursday, the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension Service had a workshop on how to fight mosquitoes.
Dr. Sonja Swiger, veterinary entomologist, said it is like a refresher course.
"We give them techniques and tools we've learned through the years from different people," Swiger said.
The workshop covered the basics such as the biology of mosquitoes to the latest tools on how to trap them. Robert Lopez with Lubbock's Vector Control said the recent temperatures have helped.
"The temperature has been down, so we haven't seen an increase in larvae or pupa or anything else in the water," he said. "Also, what has helped is that we started ahead in the game in probably in March or first week in April. So the numbers have been really low. Everything we have found has been really low compared to last year and the year prior to that."
Swiger said even though Zika is the buzzing topic, West Nile is something to keep in mind.
"West Nile Virus is a bigger deal even than the Zika even though it is not in the news right now," she said. "It is in our mosquito population, and it will be back this summer once the species starts making its rounds."
Vickie Sutton is on the state's task force on infectious disease preparedness and response. She said the group met earlier this month to discuss Zika.
"Based on the previous experience of the Ebola incidents, we have a lot more experience on how you setup a command and control structure, who is involved, what steps you need to take, even though Zika is a very different virus," she said.
Sutton said the state has a guideline in place on what cities should do if a Zika case is reported. As of Thursday, Texas has had 35 confirmed cases of Zika and of those, 34 were in travelers who were infected abroad and diagnosed when they returned home.
"You could possibly have Zika and not notice it, or you can have Zika and have very serious neurological symptoms," Sutton said. "The biggest threat of course is microcephaly to pregnant women, which is extraordinarily serious."
Swiger said mosquito problems are everyone's problem.
"Everyone needs to do their own part."
“The Four D’s” – How to Manage Mosquitoes & Protect Against Bites
Dusk/Dawn – Avoid being outside when mosquitoes are searching for a blood meal, which is usually in the early morning hours and just before the sun goes down. While some species are daytime biters, many prefer to feed at night but all can be actively feeding at dusk and dawn. Unfortunately, the mosquitoes that carry Zika, Dengue, Chikinguna and Yellow Fever also bite during the daytime.
Drain – Empty standing water from “containers” around your home and work areas, such as buckets, wheelbarrows, kiddie pools, toys, dog bowls, water troughs, tires, bottles, etc. Make improvements that allow standing water to run off following rains.
Dress – If out during mosquito feeding hours, wear long sleeves and pants in plain colors. Avoid attracting them by wearing excessive amounts of perfume or aftershave.
Defend – Any time you go outside for an extended period of time, wear a mosquito repellent. DEET provides up to 6 hours of high protection from mosquitoes and has an excellent safety record. People who dislike the smell or oily feel of DEET can choose from two other excellent mosquito repellents. Lemon oil of eucalyptus (an aromatic, plant-derived natural mosquito repellent) and picaridin (odorless) provide excellent, though shorter protection than DEET. Keep a bottle or can of insect repellent just outside the doorway to remind you to spray exposed skin.
Tips on how to keep protected click here.
