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Atherton: More mosquitoes found infected with West Nile virus

Original post made on Aug 3, 2016

After fogging mosquitoes in one Atherton neighborhood over the weekend, additional mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus have been found in Atherton, prompting the scheduling of more fogging Thursday night.

Read the full story here Web Link posted Wednesday, August 3, 2016, 11:41 AM

Comments (6)

Posted by dianab
a resident of Portola Valley: Central Portola Valley
on Aug 3, 2016 at 12:14 pm

Please stop fogging. The neurotoxicity of this pesticide is worse for us than the mosquitos. How many humans have been infected with West Nile Virus in Atherton? The numbers of people being exposed to a neurotoxic chemical may outnumber those who have been infected with West Nile.


Posted by TERRY
a resident of Menlo Park: Fair Oaks
on Aug 3, 2016 at 12:44 pm

i have already sent a comment that on Sat. 7/30 .... I found approx. 20 dead and dying bees.... I have never seen that before. One of our trees that has been filled with bees --- on Sat. morning only 2-5 were seen flying around the tree --- when that tree is usually filled with bees Our location was sprayed on Friday night and Sat. Morning.
-- It makes me wonder and be very concerned ... that we were told this 'SPRAY' would only effect the Mosquitoes !!!!! Something does NOT seem right.


Posted by Barbara Wood
Almanac staff writer
on Aug 3, 2016 at 3:11 pm

Barbara Wood is a registered user.

Here is a response from Megan Caldwell of the mosquito control district about the chemical possibly killing bees:

The product we use is an insecticide and bees are insects, so the active ingredient itself is toxic to bees in some situations. However, the likelihood of bees being affected by overnight ULV mosquito control is very low because, like us, they’re inside asleep at night. We apply the product at an extremely low concentration – just an ounce or so per acre – and we use the ULV fogger to disperse it in a mist so that it breaks down mostly in the air rather than settling on surfaces. By the time bees emerge from their hives in the morning, most of the insecticide is gone.

We also maintain communication with the San Mateo Beekeepers’ Guild. We’ve asked them to let their members know when and where we’ll be treating, and to let us know if they notice any problems. We have yet to hear from any of our local beekeepers that their hives have been affected over the course of several dozen treatments and three summers. I’m certain that if a beekeeper in the treatment area had experienced any significant loss, they would be calling us directly.

We’ll definitely follow up on this if the resident contacts us, but it doesn’t sound like they have. Without any further information, we have no way of knowing where this was, if the insects were actually bees, when it happened, etc.

District phone: 650-344-8592
or website Web Link


Posted by Stella
a resident of Atherton: other
on Aug 3, 2016 at 3:20 pm

West Nile here, Zika coming?

"At least 12 babies in the United States have already been born with the heartbreaking brain damage caused by the Zika virus. And with that number expected to multiply, public health and pediatric specialists are scrambling as they have rarely done to prepare for the lifelong implications of each case."

Obama wants funding. Republicans blocked Zika funding.

Trump?

"Juan Fiol, Trump’s vice chairman for Miami-Dade County, is betting most voters don’t care enough about Zika to warrant Trump’s attention.

“We have bigger mosquitoes to squash than Zika — like ISIS, the national debt, Iraq, and Afghanistan,” Fiol said, pounding his fist on the bar during an interview at a Trump party in downtown Miami. “We have a wall to build to keep the illegals out. We have so many other issues that are more important than this.”

He called Clinton “sophomoric” for “taking on such an insignificant issue.”"

And that, my friend, is why your campaign is getting it's backside kicked.


Posted by concerned
a resident of Atherton: other
on Aug 10, 2016 at 8:27 am

Ugh. There were about two dozen dead bees and wasps on my patio after the fogging.
Hello people- are pollinators are going extinct...doesn't anyone care about the food supply?


Posted by farm puddles
a resident of Atherton: Lindenwood
on Aug 10, 2016 at 9:34 am

I killed 4 skeeters just on my legs while outside last night in Lindenwood. Folk gotta clean up their yards, pools of water, broken irrigation pipes and puddles.

c'mon!


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