Surveillance

The Glenn County Mosquito & Vector Control District (GCMVCD) uses many different methods to monitor mosquito populations, and mosquito-borne disease. The GCMVCD's surveillance program is used for locating mosquito populations usually focusing on mosquito breeding sources, monitoring mosquito populations, and mosquito-borne disease. The GCMVCD utilizes 14 New Jersey Light Traps, 21 EVS Traps and 1 Sentinel Chicken Flock that are strategically placed throughout Glenn County. The data that is collected from our surveillance programs guide district staff to parts of Glenn County that have a high abundance of mosquitoes and it also helps detect mosquito-borne viruses so that district staff can monitor them and focus control efforts in those areas of concern. The GCMVCD monitors for Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE), St. Louis Encephalitis (SLE), and West Nile Virus (WNV).

May contain: pants, apparel, clothing, denim, and jeans — Mosquitoes covering the leg of GCMVCD staff in a pasture east of Willows.

GCMVCD Staff spends most of the day inspecting and treating potential mosquito development sites (sources) within the Service District boundaries. These inspections may occur in rice fields, wetlands, pastures, ditches, storm drains, catch basins/return systems, residential sources, neglected swimming pools, and various other man made sources where standing water is present.

SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMS

Abundance

The GCMVCD utilizes 14 New Jersey Light Traps (NJLT) to monitor mosquito abundance and different mosquito species in an area. NJLT are put out and the contents are collected weekly. The contents are then brought back to the shop and identified to determine the species of mosquitoes and the overall abundance. Not all mosquito species transmit mosquito-borne disease, most are just nuisance…

May contain: insect, animal, invertebrate, and mosquito

Virus Surveillance

The GCMVCD monitors for Western Equine Encephalitis (WEE), St. Louis Encephalitis (SLE), and West Nile Virus (WNV) activity by collecting blood samples from a Sentinel Chicken Flock in Willows, collecting live mosquitoes trapped throughout Glenn County, and collecting Dead Wild Birds reported by the residents of Glenn County. Submit An Online Dead Bird Report

May contain: hen, fowl, animal, poultry, chicken, and bird

Sentinel Chicken Flock

Each year the GCMVCD maintains a Sentinel Chicken Flock that consist of 6 chickens. The flock is located in North East Willows. Bi-weekly blood samples are taken from the sentinel chickens by staff and sent to California Department of Public Health (CDPH) Vector-Borne Disease Section in Richmond, CA. for testing. The blood samples are tested for SLE, WEE, and WNV.

May contain: bow, transportation, and vehicle

Mosquito Pools

At least once a year GCMVCD staff strategically place 21 encephalitis virus surveillance (EVS) traps throughout Glenn County. EVS traps are set out overnight and retrieved the next morning and the contents are then returned to the district office for identification. GCMVCD staff will identify and sort the trapped live mosquitoes and pool the collections for virus testing. A pool, consist of 1 to…

Dead Bird Surveillance and Testing

The GCMVCD participates in the California Department of Public Health's (CDPH) WNV dead bird testing program. Glenn County residents participate in the program by calling CDPH's Dead Bird Hotline (1-877-WNV-BIRD) each time they find a dead bird in Glenn County or by submitting an Online form at Submit An Online Dead Bird Report. Residents can also call the GCMVCD Office (530-934-4025) and the…

May contain: person, human, tree, plant, shoe, footwear, clothing, apparel, dirt road, road, gravel, wheel, machine, fir, abies, car, vehicle, automobile, and transportation

Tick Surveillance

The GCMVCD will periodically assist the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) in collecting ticks and rodents for disease surveillance in Glenn County. Tick Surveillance is done primarily because of the diseases that ticks can transmit. In the United States ticks are known to transmit 14 human illnesses. The two that are most common are Lyme Disease, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF…

May contain: person, human, mobile phone, cell phone, electronics, and phone

Contact Us

We look forward to hearing from you!

Report Dead Birds

Submit An Online Dead Bird Report

May contain: water, outdoors, land, and nature

Report Neglected Swimming Pools

Neglected Swimming Pools can produce thousands of mosquitoes putting you and you family at high risk for West Nile Virus. Please report neglected swimming pools to the Glenn County Mosquito & Vector…

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