It’s that time of year again! Please fill out and email or fax back this year’s MVCAC Fiscal Status Report Form for your district’s MVCAC dues to be calculated.

Dues for Corporate Members are due on July 1st of each year for the fiscal year ending June 30th of the following year. Unpaid dues will be considered late on September 1st. After September 1st, a late notice will be sent which will include a $50 late payment fee. Corporate members that do not pay their dues and late fee by October 31st will be dropped from the membership rolls.

Please feel free to contact the office if you have any questions. Thank you for supporting MVCAC!

May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month, and CDPH has developed Lyme disease awareness and prevention social media messages and graphics for local agencies to share. For more information about Lyme disease and additional digital resources, please visit the CDPH Lyme disease webpage. For any questions related to outreach materials, please email VBDS@cdph.ca.gov.

Posted by Vector and Vector-borne Disease Committee
May 9, 2022

On April 1, 2022, Daniel (Dan) Markowski, Ph.D. joined the American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) team as the Technical Advisor and predecessor of Dave Brown.

AMCA President Dennis Wallette noted, “I am very excited that Dan Markowski will be joining our team as the new Technical Advisor. I have known Dan for many years and have long been impressed with his broad depth of knowledge as well as his approachability. I think he will be an excellent fit for our association. I also want to thank our outgoing TA, Dave Brown. He always represented the AMCA with the utmost degree of professionalism and worked tirelessly on our behalf. I appreciate everything that Dave has done for us and know that he will be missed.”

Dr. Markowski has over thirty years of experience and has participated in all aspects of mosquito management programs. His body of work ranges from serving as a Technician to Entomologist/Educator to Deputy Director, and most recently as Vice President of Operations at Vector Disease Control International.

Read more at:  https://www.mosquito.org/news/601417/AMCA-Welcomes-New-Technical-Advisor-Daniel-Markowski-Ph.D..htm

Thanks to Dave Brown for his continued service to AMCA and our profession after his retirement from the Sac-Yolo MVCD. 

Posted by Vector and Vector-borne Disease Committee
May 2, 2022

Guofa Zhou,1,4, Yiji Li,1,3 Brook Jeang,1 Xiaoming Wang,1, Robert F. Cummings,2
Daibin Zhong,1 and Guiyun Yan1
1Program in Public Health, University of California, Irvine, CA, USA, 2Orange County Mosquito and Vector Control District, Garden Grove, CA, USA, 3Current address: Department of Pathogen Biology, Hainan Medical University, Haikou, Hainan, China, and
4Corresponding author, e-mail: zhoug@uci.edu

Paraphrased from the Abstract:

Mosquito mortalities and metabolic enzyme expressions were examined in mosquitoes with/without pre-exposure to different PBO concentrations and exposure durations. Except for malathion, wild strain Cx quinquefasciatus mosquitoes were resistant to all insecticides tested, including PBO-synergized pyrethroids (mortality range 3.7 ± 4.7% to 66.7 ± 7.7%). Wild strain mosquitoes had elevated levels of carboxylesterase (COE, 3.8-fold) and monooxygenase (P450, 2.1-fold) but not glutathione S-transferase (GST) compared to susceptible mosquitoes. When wild strain mosquitoes were pre-exposed to 4% PBO, the 50% lethal concentration of deltamethrin was reduced from 0.22% to 0.10%, compared to 0.02% for a susceptible strain. The knockdown resistance gene mutation (L1014F) rate was 62% in wild strain mosquitoes.  The addition of PBO alone may not be enough to control highly pyrethroid-resistant mosquitoes due to multiple resistance mechanisms. Mosquito resistance to PBO-synergized insecticide should be closely monitored through a routine resistance management program for effective control of mosquitoes and the  pathogens they transmit.

Journal of Medical Entomology, 59(2), 2022, 638–647

https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjab231

Highly pyrethroid resistant populations may be evolving multiple resistance pathways that allow them to be resistant not only to the insecticide but also to the synergist.

Posted by Vector and Vector-borne Disease Committee
May 2, 2022

Scheduled for May 17, the virtual event will include presentations from Mark “Shep” Sheperdigian, vice president of technical services of Rose Pest Solutions; Jennifer Gordon, PH.D., founder and principal consultant of Bug Lessons; and Chelle Hartzer, B.C.E., entomologist and owner of 360 Pest and Food Safety Consulting.  From recurring service to one-time jobs for special occasions, mosquito control is an offering many customers are seeking to enhance their time spent outdoors.  Business-savvy PMPs have seen a significant upturn in business thanks to more aggressive marketing and ongoing media coverage of the threats posed by mosquito-borne illnesses.  This combination has resulted in a growing number of PMPs [Pest Management Professionals] offering mosquito control services during the past few years. If you’re considering entering this potentially lucrative field, or would simply like to learn more about the most effective mosquito treatment protocols, you’ll want to attend the PCT Virtual Mosquito Conference, scheduled for Tuesday, May 17.  During the Mosquito Control Virtual Conference, attendees will have an opportunity to learn from some of the leading educators in the field, as well as from PMPs who are shaping the future of mosquito control.  Learn more online at http://mosquito.pctonline.com. 

Posted as eNews by the Entomological Society of America  [< esa@entsoc.org>].

As day time biting Aedes invade new areas and over extend the resources and response capabilities of local Public Health and Mosquito Control agencies, a niche for PMPs to provide control has been created.  This Virtual Conference may provide the MVCAC the opportunity to see what kinds of services are being offered.

Posted by Vector and Vector-borne Disease Committee
April 27, 2022

Scheduled for May 17, the virtual event will include presentations from Mark “Shep” Sheperdigian, vice president of technical services of Rose Pest Solutions; Jennifer Gordon, PH.D., founder and principal consultant of Bug Lessons; and Chelle Hartzer, B.C.E., entomologist and owner of 360 Pest and Food Safety Consulting. From recurring service to one-time jobs for special occasions, mosquito control is an offering many customers are seeking to enhance their time spent outdoors. Business-savvy PMPs have seen a significant upturn in business thanks to more aggressive marketing and ongoing media coverage of the threats posed by mosquito-borne illnesses. This combination has resulted in a growing number of PMPs [Pest Management Professionals] offering mosquito control services during the past few years. If you’re considering entering this potentially lucrative field, or would simply like to learn more about the most effective mosquito treatment protocols, you’ll want to attend the PCT Virtual Mosquito Conference, scheduled for Tuesday, May 17. During the Mosquito Control Virtual Conference, attendees will have an opportunity to learn from some of the leading educators in the field, as well as from PMPs who are shaping the future of mosquito control. Learn more online at http://mosquito.pctonline.com.

Posted as eNews by the Entomological Society of America esa@entsoc.org

As day time biting Aedes invade new areas and over extend the resources and response capabilities of local Public Health and Mosquito Control agencies, a niche for PMPs to provide control has been created. This Virtual Conference may provide the MVCAC the opportunity to see what kinds of services are being offered.

Posted by Vector and Vector-borne Disease Committee
April 25, 2022

Jennifer A. Henke, laboratory manager at the Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District in Indio, California, has been elected by members of the Entomological Society of America as the organization’s next Vice President-Elect.

She will begin her term as VP-Elect at the conclusion of Entomology 2021, ESA’s Annual Meeting, taking place in-person and online, October 31 – November 3, in Denver, Colorado. She will then serve as ESA Vice President beginning in November 2022, President beginning in November 2023, and Past President beginning in November 2024.

https://entsoc.org/jennifer-henke-elected-next-vice-president-elect-entomological-society-america

Congratulations Jennifer!

Posted by Vector and Vector-borne Disease Committee
April 19, 2022

ESA is seeking interested candidates to serve as the co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Medical Entomology. This journal publishes on all aspects of medical and veterinary entomology and includes full research articles, reviews, interpretive (forum) articles, short communications, and letters to the editor. The term for this position would begin in late summer 2022 and scientists at all career stages and backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Learn more about the position and apply by April 30. 

With the retirement of WK Reisen as Editor-in-Chief, JME is looking to have two co-editors.  David Taylor, a veterinary entomologist, has accepted one of two positions and is looking for a Medical or Public Health entomologist to work with him on human health related vectors. 

The Journal of Medical Entomology is pleased to publish a special collection of Forum articles that review active research on how manipulation of the mosquito genome or microbial biome may be utilized to address current issues with controlling mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases.

All the papers in the collection are made freely available to read and download. [https://academic.oup.com/jme/pages/genetic-control-of-mosquitoes].

This collection of five Forum papers discuss the history of release programs and new developments including the use of Wolbachia in California.   Relevant to the discussion of the OxiTech program is the paper by Mark Benedict “Sterile Insect Technique: Lessons from the Past” [https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjab024]  This article highlights studies that were notable for the insights that were gained, the intrinsic difficulties that mosquitoes present, and synthesizes these into recommendations for successful applications of the sterile insect technique and newer technologies to mosquitoes.

Thermacell recently has introduced  “The Thermacell LIV Smart Mosquito Repellent System [cost $699 for 100 hrs protection] that creates an installed, large area of mosquito protection customized for your outdoor space. This smart system is all you need to enjoy season-long mosquito protection year after year. No batteries, no sprays on your skin. LIV lands in March 2022.”  This system apparently can interface with Amazon’s Alexa or Google Assistant to turn on/off using voice commands.  The repellent is not new and is 5.5% metoflutrhrin [C₁₈H₂₀F₄O₃ ] which is a type I pyrethroid ester approved as a special repellent.   Buhagiar et al. (2017) previously evaluated this compound indoors against Ae. aegypti and found 100% repellency and mortality (https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-017-2219-0).

As the MVCAC embarks upon the increasing use of genetic methods for the control of invasive Aedes, it would seem useful to examine the 50 year history of mosquito releases for genetic control using mostly sterile insect techniques [Benedict, MQ. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjab024]  as well as novel methods being developed for replacement and suppression of Anopheles and Aedes [Alderman, ZN and BB Kojin. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjab090; Dobson, SL 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjab025; Reid, WR, KE Olson, AWE Franz. 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/jme/tjab030].   These Forum papers critically review the literature thereby providing a useful background for Oxitech’s planned update presentation at the 5th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Southwest Center of Excellence in Vector-Borne Diseases (PacVec) to be held April 5-6, 2022 at the Embassy Suites Sacramento Riverfront Promenade.