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Mosquito Information

Barrier Treatments for Mosquitoes

08/19/2016

As mosquito season peaks, residents often wonder what more they can do around their properties to protect themselves from mosquitoes. This new video - Barrier Treatments for Mosquitoes - is put out by the Tarrant County Public Health Department and addresses that specific question.

Mosquito Fogging Information

05/24/2016

No Actions Are Scheduled At This Time.

During fogging times, please follow these simple steps: 

If able, pets should be brought indoors or put into a protected area.  Outdoor water dishes should be emptied and refilled the next morning.

Poultry can be placed into henhouses or protected areas and allowed out, after daylight, the following morning.

Homegrown produce grown in the response zone may be rinsed before consumption, but the risk of contamination is extremely low.

The nights of the application, ornamental fish ponds can be covered with tarps or plastic if located close to the roadway the fog trucks will be traveling.  Coverings should be removed at daylight the following day.

Honey bee colonies can be covered after dark on the nights with the covers promptly removed at dawn the following day.  This material does not pose an issue for honey bees since the bees are not actively foraging while the application is taking place.  As a side note, the material is precisely calibrated in a droplet size to impact an insect with the body mass of a   mosquito and the material volatilizes after about five minutes.  If some material happens to form a residue on the ground or plants, the product is very rapidly degraded when exposed to UV light.

Filters on air conditioning systems are sufficient to filter the product from the living space or car cabin, so please do not turn off the air systems.

If you happen to drive behind a fog truck while in the operation of fogging, wait for the truck to pull over and pass promptly with the windows up and the air system on recirculate.

The active ingredient (permethrin) utilized for fogging is commonly found in many household, pet, and livestock spray items.

Product toxicity is actually much higher in homeowner products available through the feed store or hardware store.  Mosquito products available widely for yard applications have from 32 times to 110 times more concentration of active ingredient than the product used for ground fogging.

West Nile & Zika Virus Information

05/24/2016

Defend yourself and the City of Lake Worth against the West Nile Virus by taking just a few simple steps.

Just remember the Four D's:

DUSK/DAWN are the times of day that you should try to stay indoors.  This is when infected mosquitoes are most active.

DRESS in long sleeves and pants when you're outside. For extra protection, you may want to spray thin clothing with repellant.

DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-tolamide) is an ingredient to look for in your insect repellent. Follow the instructions on the label and always wear repellent when outdoors.

DRAIN standing water in your backyard and neighborhood - old tires, flowerpots, and clogged rain gutters. These are mosquito breeding sites.

Fewer than 1% of those bitten by infected mosquitoes become severely ill.

If you have symptoms that include stiff neck, high fever, or severe headache, contact your health-care provider immediately.