The mosquito-transmitted Zika virus is spreading through the Caribbean and South America and researchers say it is likely that at least some local populations of mosquitos in the US will become infected as well.
“Mosquito season has begun unfortunately, especially with these recent spring rains. Any time you have warm enough weather for breeding to occur, you’re going to be at risk for any of the diseases that mosquitos can carry,” says Barbara Leach, Horticulture Technician with Virginia Cooperative Extension in Roanoke.
Leach says we do have one of the species that carries Zika virus in Virginia. “Just because we have Asian Tiger mosquitos here does not mean that that is an effected community. So until that community of mosquitoes is infected, our risk at the moment of getting infected from a Tiger mosquito I think is low,” says Leach. “Even in your own backyard where you think you may not have water, you can really do a lot of scouting and try to root out the areas that they might be breeding, and it can be a very small amount of water, you know a quarter of a cup. You may have a tarp or a piece of plastic laying out by a back shed, and just the amount of water that will come into those little pockets can be enough to breed mosquitos.
One of the first things often considered for mosquito control is a pesticide. Leech says, however, that may not be the best way to go. She says, “The amount of pesticide you’re putting into the environment to kill a few mosquitos that you could easily prevent seems crazy considering how many good insects there are out there that we want to preserve.
In fact, she says there is a natural way to control mosquitos. “A lot of people that are trying to control mosquitos will even consider putting in a bat house. Now getting the bats to move into that house may be another issue, but bats really are one of the greatest ways to control mosquitos,” says Leach.
The Asian Tiger mosquito is one that carries the virus and lives in Virginia. The CDC reports there have been 13 cases of the Zika virus in Virginia, 11 in North Carolina and 6 in West Virginia. All were acquired oversees.
