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Townsend Mosquito Board reports low trap counts, no West Nile detections; plans targeted treatment
Summary
At the July 14 meeting, a board presenter said trap counts are unusually low ("less than 10 mosquitoes in a trap per night"), that no West Nile–positive mosquitoes had been found in the state, and that if the weather changes treatment will start at the county's south end; the board also described recent software upgrades and outreach work.
A presenter for the Townsend Mosquito Board told members on July 14 that mosquito surveillance across Broadwater County has been unusually light this season and that the board has not yet needed broad fogging operations in the Townsend District.
"We're catching less than 10 mosquitoes in a trap per night," the presenter said, and added that traps across the county — including in the Townsend District — have been below threshold. The presenter also reported that the state had not recorded any West Nile–positive mosquitoes "yet."
The presenter described operational steps taken last season, including using low-season funds to buy software that marks no-spray zones, integrates with the board's logging systems and helps applicators know where to avoid fogging. Seasonal staff hours have been repurposed in part to produce newspaper outreach and do groundwork. The presenter said the board is within its mosquito-operations budget and expects no unexpected changes going forward; a final quarterly budget meeting is scheduled in August.
If weather and hatch patterns change, the presenter said the board plans to begin targeted treatment at the south end of the county while keeping the city and northern district areas untreated unless surveillance thresholds are met. The presenter invited members to the state mosquito meeting in January in Great Falls at the Hotel Arbonne and noted multiple association roles they hold, including vice president of the Montana Mosquito and Vector Control Association and the state's representative to the Northwest Mosquito and Vector Control Association board.
The board did not discuss any new emergency public-health measures at the meeting.
