Mosquitoes

In the Western United States we are concerned with three major mosquito-borne diseases; St. Louis encephalitis (SLE), western equine encephalomyelitis (WEE), and West Nile Virus (WNV). However, the threat of new viruses always exists.

SLE, WEE, and WNV are called arboviruses. Arboviruses are viruses spread by insects (arthropods). Arboviruses are a very large group of viruses that are spread by certain invertebrate animals, mainly blood-sucking insects.

Table of Contents

• West Nile virus
• Mosquitoes Around the Home
• KFRG 95.1/92.9 Interview

Mosquitoes require standing water to breed. Female mosquitoes lay thier eggs in still, stagnant water for several reasons. 1. stagnant water contains bacteria and algae that mosquito larvae feed on, 2. when mosquitoes become adults, the hatch out of their pupal cases and need to rest on the surface of the water until their wings and bodies have dried out and they are able to fly away.

We are proud to have been invited to the KFRG studios to discuss current issues in vector control and West Nile virus.