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Programs
Operations
The primary mission of the Operations Department is
the control of mosquitoes, Red Imported Fire Ants (RIFA),
and eye gnats. Additionally, residents are provided
with assistance on roof rats and flies through inspections
and information on habitat reduction and exclusion from dwellings.
The mosquito control program conducts surveillance
and applies environmentally friendly control products to larval
breeding sites. In some cases, adulticides are applied locally from
ground or air units when virus surveillance indicates an impending
or present outbreak of mosquito-borne virus.
The Coachella Valley is an arid desert that is not
naturally suitable for RIFA survival, however multiple daily irrigation
of golf courses, lawns, flower beds and other horticultural
landscapes, provide moist and relatively cool conditions
conducive to RIFA survival. The RIFA program was established
to reduce the potential for injury and economic impact to the residents
and visitors of the Valley. Property inspections and control product
treatments are conducted at prescribed intervals.
Eye Gnats are very small (1.5-2.5 mm long) flies,
primarily a nuisance pest that does not bite.
They have been linked with the spread of “pinkeye” (conjunctivitis).
The program utilizes thousands of baited bottle traps to “Trap Out”
and reduces the abundance of eye gnats to tolerable nuisance
levels. These traps are located at golf courses, parks, and agricultural areas.
Fly populations benefit from both urban development and
agricultural activities in the Coachella Valley. The District’s goal is
to suppress valley fly populations to tolerable levels and reduce the risk of
fly transmitted diseases. To accomplish this objective, the fly program includes
surveillance, public education, and suppression methods.
Bio-Control
The Biocontrol and Efficacy Assessment Department is currently
working with three natural organisms to control mosquito larvae.
These organisms are predators or parasites, which prey or live
upon the target insect, resulting in a desired reduction of their
population levels. The most successful biological tool against
immature mosquitoes in California is the mosquitofish, Gambusia
affinis. The other two organisms that the department is working
with are tadpole shrimp and nematodes.
Vector & Vector-Borne Disease
The Vector and Vector-Borne Disease Surveillance department staff
performs vector and nuisance population monitoring, species
identification, and disease surveillance using a variety of
field and laboratory techniques. READ MORE
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