West Nile Virus Peak Season Arrives In Bucks: County Provides Update

BUCKS COUNTY, PA — With the peak season for mosquitos and West Nile Virus upon us, the staff at the Bucks County Health Department said it has been focusing its energies on habitat reduction and larval control.

According to the health department, so far this year Bucks County has not reported a case of West Nile Virus in humans.

In early spring, a mosquito pool in Perkasie tested positive for the virus. And in the last week, two other mosquito pools in Hulmeville/Bensalem and in Quakertown also tested positive.

"We typically see activity rise in July–September," said the health department. "If needed, we may conduct targeted nighttime adulticide events, aka sprays, using our calibrated truck-mounted equipment. The public will always be notified beforehand, especially so the department can avoid conflicts with outdoor events or gatherings."

To date, health department director Dr. David Damsker said there are not enough positives yet for adult West Nile Virus spraying, and that the main focus at this point continues to be habitat reduction and larval control.

Since March, Damsker said the health department staff has been inspecting and treating mosquito habitats across the county, including the removal of standing water, applying larvicide where water can't be drained (like storm drains and catch basins), and addressing areas of concern reported by residents.

Damsker said adult mosquito traps have also been deployed throughout the county with any mosquitoes collected sent to the state lab to test for West Nile Virus (WNV), Jamestown Canyon Virus, and St. Louis Encephalitis.

According to Damsker, the traps are simply meant for surveillance of species, rough population estimates, and determining the presence of virus activity in the area. Unfortunately, they aren’t meant to reduce the population of mosquitoes, he said.

How Residents Can Help

Eliminate Standing Water

• Mosquitoes love standing water in items like tarps, unused pools, toys, boats, clogged gutters, or plant saucers.

Know Your Mosquitoes

• Culex mosquitoes (which spread WNV and St. Louis Encephalitis) breed in woodland pools, roadside ditches, some containers, and even sewage treatment plants. They also primarily bite at dusk and night.

• Aedes albopictus (aka Asian tiger mosquito, which can spread Jamestown Canyon Virus) prefers small containers with clean water and bites all times of the day. They are smaller and have striped legs.

Protect Yourself

• Avoid the outdoors during peak biting times
• Wear long sleeves, pants, and closed shoes when possible
• Use EPA-registered insect repellents
• Install outdoor fans because mosquitoes are weak fliers!

Stay Informed

• Follow BCDH for tips and spray alerts on Facebook: Bucks County Department of Health and on Instagram: @buckshealthdept https://www.instagram.com/buckshealthdept/?hl=en
• County Website for Mosquito Updates & Spray Notices: www.buckscounty.gov

Optional Resident Notifications:

• RSS Feed: News Flash RSSOpens in new window (RSS reader app required) https://www.buckscounty.gov/rss.aspx#newsFlash
• Email Alerts: Notify Me Signup https://www.buckscounty.gov/list.aspx?Mode=Subscribe#newsFlash
• For broader statewide info, visit the PA DEP Mosquito Control Program: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dep/programs-and-services/integration/vector-management/mosquitoes.html

If you have questions, concerns, or need additional resources, reach out to the Bucks County Department of Health

Additional Resources:

• West Nile Virus (WNV): https://www.cdc.gov/west-nile-virus/about/index.html
• Jamestown Canyon Virus: https://www.cdc.gov/jamestown-canyon/symptoms-diagnosis-treatment/index.html
• St. Louis Encephalitis: https://www.cdc.gov/sle/about/index.html