Anti-mosquito maintenance

ROUTINE MAINTENANCE perhaps ought to include two related steps: 

1. removing sources of standing water on the premises; and 
2. for those sources that cannot easily be removed, changing out their water on a weekly basis.

An Aedes mosquito

Below the jump, this post discusses what Mishkon can do to reduce the risk of annoying and disease-carrying mosquitoes.

Summary

Mosquitoes lay their eggs in water. So the key to mosquito control is to minimize the amount of standing water. 

“Standing water left untouched for at least seven days is a magnet for mosquitoes.” —L.A. Times, 2/14/24.

What is to be done?

“Because mosquito larvae feed on decaying organic matter and other microorganisms, the water must be stagnant and contain some organic matter … to support mosquito development,” Daniel Markowski, American Mosquito Control Assn.’s technical advisor, told the L.A. Times recently. Here is an unfortunate exemplar in the Ruben Alley:

2/23/24
(As usual, click/tap on an image to enlarge it.)

• Any container capable of holding at least a teaspoon of water
  should be emptied, turned over, or disposed of once a week, says the Greater L.A. County Vector Control District.
• That includes buckets, cups, tarps, plant saucers, toys, watering cans, trash cans, and recycling carts. 
• Similar advice has been issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which suggests checking for water-holding containers even indoors.

Our sump pump at the base of the steps in the Ruben Alley should be covered with screening. 

West Nile virus

The deadly and debilitating West Nile virus poses a growing threat in California. Evidence of its presence was found in 2023 all around Venice — in Ocean Park, Mar Vista, and Marina del Rey — according to vectorsurv.org.

About Aedes mosquitoes

Invasive mosquitoes of the genus Aedes are even more annoying than native mosquitoes. They were first detected in Venice in 2019, according to a California Dept. of Public Health interactive map.

Aedes are unlike the native variety in four important ways. They are ankle-biters. They prefer human (rather than animal) blood. They extract blood through multiple strikes. 

Most importantly, Aedes mosquitoes can breed in minuscule amounts of water — as little as a teaspoon’s worth.

But like the natives, Aedes mosquitoes can transmit diseases.

How bad or urgent is the problem?

Susanne Kluh, general manager for the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District, told the L.A. Times in mid-February that we should always be concerned about standing water. She said that “this is the time” to take preventative measures ahead of warmer weather. 

Los Angeles has the worst mosquito problem of any city in the USA, according to pest control company Orkin. More precisely, its residents make the greatest demand for mosquito control services.

Mosquito levels tend to be lowest in January and February; as the weather warms up, the numbers increase. AccuWeather offers a mosquito forecast that is specific to Venice. Right now, the risk for mosquito activity is low, but that risk will become greater soon.