Public Information and EducationAdditional CommunityEvent Involvement andPartnershipsAMCA Education DayAdelante MediaBroderick Christian CenterBridges After school programCache Creek LodgeCalifornia Department of Transportation, CaltransCalifornia State FairCBS-13Cemetery AllianceCity of <strong>Sacramento</strong> Neighborhood ServicesClear Channel CommunicationsCreek Week CleanupCrossings KBTVElk Grove Community GardenElk Grove Western FestivalEntercom RadioEntravision CommunicationsFamily RadioFolsom Parks and RecreationHeritage Park WNV Awareness FairHomeless ConnectKCRA 3Loaves and FishesMy Sisters HouseMercy HousingNational Night OutNatomas Golf TournamentNorth Highlands Family NightNews 10Parks and Recreation DepartmentsRadio DisneyRotary Club of Arden ArcadeRussian American MediaSACA Community Center<strong>Sacramento</strong> County Board of Supervisors<strong>Sacramento</strong> Food Bank<strong>Sacramento</strong> News and Review<strong>Sacramento</strong> Salvation Army<strong>Sacramento</strong> Realtors Association<strong>Sacramento</strong> START<strong>Sacramento</strong> ZooSalem CommunicationsSMUDStonelakes <strong>Annual</strong> Health and Safety FairTahoe Park Health FairTelemundo 33Twin Rivers Unified School DistrictUnivision 19Villa San Juan Night OutWilton Fire Protection DistrictWitter Ranch Community AllianceYMCA<strong>Yolo</strong> Basin Foundation Duck Days<strong>Yolo</strong> County Association of Realtors<strong>Yolo</strong> County Board of Supervisors<strong>Yolo</strong> County Public Health WeekFurther Outreach ActivitiesSCHOOL AND COMMUNITY PRESENTATIONSIn order to keep the public informed, the District offered presentations to school classroomsand local community groups. This program consisted of visual presentations, practicaldemonstrations and a question-and-answer session. In <strong>2011</strong> a total of 102 presentationswere made to local classrooms and community groups. In addition, the District providedinformational pamphlets and brochures on topics ranging from mosquitoes, West Nile virus,yellowjackets, wasps, and all of our District programs.COMMUNITY EVENTSThe District participates in a variety of community events throughout the year. An educationaland engaging booth is set up that includes live mosquito and mosquitofish displays, a bug box,a repellent display, free individual repellent packets and a variety of message reinforcementitems. Staff is available to answer questions on District activities and to promote our variousservices. In <strong>2011</strong> we participated in 32 community events.FIGHT THE BITE CONTEST AND CALENDARIn an effort to continue educating and informing our community about mosquitoes and WNV,the District hosted a Fight the Bite Calendar Page Contest for <strong>Sacramento</strong> and <strong>Yolo</strong> countystudents in grades K-12. Students were asked to create a calendar page encouraging theaudience to practice one or all of the District D’s of <strong>Mosquito</strong> Prevention. Twelve winnerswere selected from 2812 entries and were announced during <strong>Mosquito</strong> Awareness Week.Individual winners and their schools received a cash prize and the first place winners in allthree categories recorded a public service announcement that aired throughout the summer onRadio Disney. Calendars were produced from the artwork of the twelve winning student entriesand a total of 10,000 calendars were distributed at various activities throughout <strong>Sacramento</strong>and <strong>Yolo</strong> counties.MOSQUITO AND WEST NILE VIRUS AWARENESS WEEKIn coordination with mosquito control districts throughout the state, the <strong>Sacramento</strong>-<strong>Yolo</strong><strong>Mosquito</strong> and <strong>Vector</strong> <strong>Control</strong> District hosted several events during <strong>Mosquito</strong> and West Nilevirus Awareness Week April 24-30. This week marked the official launch of the advertisingand public education campaign for the season. Various events to disseminate district messagesalso took place, some of them included repellent distribution at Loaves and Fishes andChristian Broderick Center, these are two local agencies that serve homeless residents whoare at high risk for mosquito bites and West Nile virus. Winners of the annual Fight the BiteDesign a Calendar Page Contest were announced and awarded prizes at their school. Lastly,presentations to various community groups were also made.REPELLENT DISTRIBUTIONAn important component of the education and outreach program is to promote the use ofmosquito repellent as a way to have the public protect themselves from mosquito bites. TheDistrict offers free mosquito repellent wipes for agencies and community organizations to useduring outdoor evening activities and events such as National Night Out, summer concerts inthe park, outdoor movies and various activities sponsored by parks and recreation districts. Torequest mosquito repellent you may send an email to info@fightthebite.netK-8 LESSON PLANSThe District’s lesson plans address topics of mosquito biology, the medical significance ofwasps, honeybees, ticks, and vector control. Students are engaged and inspired to learn moreabout mosquitoes and other vectors as well as additional services the District provides. Thisseason the District continued work on distribution and implementation of this curriculum invarious classrooms throughout <strong>Sacramento</strong> and <strong>Yolo</strong> counties.6 <strong>Sacramento</strong>–<strong>Yolo</strong> <strong>Mosquito</strong> & <strong>Vector</strong> <strong>Control</strong> District
<strong>Mosquito</strong> &<strong>Vector</strong> SurveillanceThe laboratory provides the following technical information to help guide efficient control ofvector-borne diseases in <strong>Sacramento</strong> and <strong>Yolo</strong> Counties:• Surveillance of mosquitoes• Encephalitis virus surveillance• Surveillance for other mosquito-borne diseases• Tick and Lyme disease surveillance• Surveillance of bees and wasps• Identification of arthropods of public health significance• Pesticide resistance management• Research and special projectsIn addition to the mosquitospecies found in <strong>Sacramento</strong>and <strong>Yolo</strong> Counties, Districttechnicians are also trainedto recognize any exotic orintroduced species, if present,in any of the thousands ofsamples they collect each year.Surveillance of <strong>Mosquito</strong>es<strong>Mosquito</strong> surveillance is an essential component of the District’s Integrated Pest Management(IPM) program and a considerable amount of effort is devoted to it. The District’s surveillanceprogram consists of a systematic approach for locating mosquito breeding sources andmonitoring mosquito populations and mosquito-borne disease activity over time and space. Thelaboratory collects and analyzes data on seasonal changes in relative abundances of mosquitospecies, monitors geographic and environmental distribution patterns of mosquito species,determines maximum and minimum risk periods of public exposure to mosquito-borne diseases,and evaluates mosquito control activities. All the data are part of a historical database, whichprovides information on the dynamics of mosquitoes and mosquito-borne disease within theDistrict’s surveillance area.In <strong>2011</strong> our District collected over 169,000 mosquitoes during 3,808 trapping nights in fixedsites throughout <strong>Sacramento</strong> and <strong>Yolo</strong> Counties. These were identified to species and countedby our laboratory technicians. The District uses three types of traps for collection of abundancedata — American Light traps, <strong>Mosquito</strong> Magnet® traps, and Gravid traps. All three trap typesare set in representative sites of different habitats in both counties. These traps are used to gatherinformation on the distribution of all mosquito species and to monitor populations of mosquitospecies of concern. Data are interpreted in the context of historical records and mosquitoabundance is compared to a 5-year average.The American Light trap is the most widely used by mosquito control Districts in California. Itcollects mosquitoes and other insects, which are attracted to the light produced by this trap,regardless of the physiological or behavioral state of the insect. This trap type has been used bythe District for many years and it has provided historical data since before the introduction ofWest Nile virus in our area. The <strong>Mosquito</strong> Magnet ® trap captures host-seeking mosquitoes thatare attracted to the carbon dioxide emissions that are produced from burning liquid propane.The third type, the Gravid female trap, attracts female mosquitoes that are seeking to lay eggsin water rich in organic materials. The organic water mixture is made of ground alfalfa and hogchow pellets and Brewer’s yeast and is allowed to ferment before being used in the trap.<strong>2011</strong> <strong>Annual</strong> <strong>Report</strong>7