Quarterly Newsletter

Summer 2024

Return of the Green Pool Program

This year we conducted the annual Green Pool survey after a one-year hiatus. Green Pools can be a major source of mosquitoes, because the water that accumulates from winter and spring does not always dry off by Memorial Day. Mosquitoes need standing water to complete their life cycles. Water that has been sitting for months often has leaves and other yard debris which can make a pool an ideal spot to breed mosquitoes.

Our office contracts with a local pilot to conduct an aerial survey of Alameda County, which is then connected to parcel data. We use AI imagery to find green pools and then office staff verify the final numbers of notices to send out. While the process is long, the district found over 490 pools that were green in 2024. The office sent hundreds of notices, and just under half of all identified pools were in good standing within a month of receiving the first notice. Residents who have a clean pool or have mosquitofish in the pool can inform the ACMAD office, and then the office removes their pool from the Green Pool list. Residents who need assistance from the district, either in the form of mosquitofish or treatment to their pool, can contact the district and after our visit they are removed from the Green Pool list for 2024. Before the Green Pool project started years ago, technicians would need to look at every known problem pool in the county, which would take more than four months to complete. Now we can complete it in less than two.

This process is an example of what makes the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District an efficient and effective organization. The district uses data to determine which potential mosquito sources to reach out to. By using clear communication with residents in the form of letters, social media and talking one-on-one, we were able to reduce mosquito sources without dispatching our field operations team, which saves the district and taxpayers money in the long term. Thank you to office staff, particularly project lead Robert Ferdan, for their work on this project.

 Welcome to our new trustees!

West Nile Virus is Circulating in Alameda County

While there is plenty of work in Alameda County to combat our native Californian mosquitoes, we are also always on the lookout for invasive mosquitoes- Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. Not only are these mosquitoes aggressive and bite throughout the day, they also can spread diseases such as dengue fever. These mosquitoes easily establish themselves in urban areas by placing their eggs in hidden places such as inside tires, forgotten containers, children’s toys- if it can hold a tablespoon of water, it can hold invasive Aedes eggs. These mosquitoes are small, mostly black with white stripes. Recently invasive Aedes was found in San Jose, just over the border from Alameda County. Last year Contra Costa County detected invasive Aedes, and successfully treated the source of the mosquitoes. If you look on the Invasive Aedes CA State Map many counties have invasive Aedes. If you encounter biting mosquitoes during the day, please contact us immediately- the faster we find them, the faster we can eliminate them.

Social Media Moment

What do you think that is? Bark? Dirt? Nope, that's about 73 mosquito egg rafts, each raft can contain 80-100 eggs. Our technician found them in one location. That's wild!

WNV Update

Alameda County found the first West Nile positive bird in the state earlier this year, and the district has been working diligently to find and treat known sources of mosquitoes. See our updated numbers on our website: Alameda County WNV activity. Throughout the past year we have monitored traps, collected dead birds and treated all parts of Alameda County. Mosquitoes can breed all year long in the Bay Area, so preventative activities such as removing standing water, adding mosquito fish to ponds, troughs, and neglected swimming pools will reduce our risk of West Nile virus. Now is a great time to check for standing water in your yard, sump pump or gutters and drain or cover anything that will hold water longer than 4 days. This is especially true when we have days of rain followed by days with lots of sunshine. Visit our backyard checklist to see common places where mosquitoes produce.