DALLAS — No one likes a bugger. Already, many feel as though mosquitoes have been out of control. To learn more about how Dallas County keeps order, WFAA visited the Mosquito Control Lab.
“We trap. We test. We treat. We tell. We repeat,” said Scott Sawlis, Mosquito Control Manager.
It is a weekly cycle that Sawlis said picks up in warm weather when mosquitoes are more active. “Our surveillance is based off of setting mosquito traps,” said Sawlis.
They attract mosquitoes using old sitting water. Then, they trap them in nets around the county. “Then the contents of the mosquitoes that we have, gets dumped onto this laminated paper. We begin to sort those,” said Sawlis.
They start with a process of separating the males from the females.
“We’re interested in the females because the females are the mosquito that transmit the disease. The males do not bite or take a blood meal,” Sawlis said. “Males have beards. The antenna for the males is feathery and puffy, so it’s a really easy look. Females do not have that.”
The mosquitoes are placed in small dishes that can hold hundreds. Then, the team will identify their species. Dallas County has more than 50 species, but since the department is mainly testing for the West Nile Virus, they are looking for just one.
“It’s science, so it’s a fancy name. It’s Culex Quinquefaciatus is the big word. We just call it the Southern House Mosquito. It’s a lot easier,” said Sawlis.
Although they are not very active, the mosquitoes are still alive. They have to be in order to test for different viruses. That testing is done in a second lab in downtown Dallas.
“They’ll put in the chemistry that takes place. They’re going to actually extract the RNA, DNA and look for West Nile Virus particularly in this sample,” said Sawlis. “We’re right in the seasonality, the peak of our season where we’re going to find that.”
Sawlis and his team recommend that people to wear long light-colored clothes, bug repellent, and to get rid of standing water to help prevent mosquitoes. “Don’t ask what Dallas County can do for mosquito control but ask what you can do for Dallas County for mosquito control,” said Sawlis.