Short Bites Monthly

Your digest for April 2023.

A hand holding a smartphone displaying a mosquito image, with "April Update" prominently featured.

Short Bites Monthly ensures that our data as a public health agency remains transparent to the public and to people who are interested in our mission.

The image features the phrase "IN YOUR COMMUNITY" alongside colorful house icons against a light background.

Events

  • Have a Spring or Summer event coming up? 

Book us now

A woman at a booth promotes mosquito repellent and awareness about mosquito-borne diseases in the San Gabriel Valley.
Image of Outreach Assistant working a community event.

Outreach Efforts

diagram, text
  • Enhanced Neighborhood Support (ENS) has been conducted in several neighborhoods. This includes door-to-door property inspections, delivery of educational material, and residential alerts to disease threats.
  • This month, our Technicians are preparing the first phase of the spring swimming pool condition confirmation effort. Residents will be sent a request for condition confirmation requesting to have their pool in an acceptable condition.
The image shows two pools: one green and unkempt on the left, and a clean, blue pool on the right.
Image of an unmaintained (green pool) and a maintained (clean pool).
text, chalk board

EcoHealth Newsletter

Read April Newsletter

Mosquito Intelligence Academy

An animated character with short hair holding a magnifying glass, posed beside the name "MIA" on a bright blue background.
  • Springtime classroom programs are booking up! Thanks to early bird teacher sign ups, our Education Specialists continue to bring quality education programs to classroom doorsteps.

Book a Program 

A person with glasses is sitting at a desk wearing a headset, working on a computer with papers and pens nearby.
Images of our Education Specialist discussing behavior change strategies with Cornell University staff.

Citizen Science

  • Students in the San Gabriel Valley can be mobilized to aid us in the battle against mosquitoes and mosquito-borne diseases. Teachers can enroll their class today.

Vector Inspector Program: Kinder - 6th

Operation Mosquito GRID: grades 6th - 8th

person in Mosquito costume waving
Sign up now!

Digital Communication

  • This month, we welcomed a new Director of Communications who is coming to us from the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District.
  • We are also creating new resources for those who love California Native plants. New content and webpages will encourage residents to switch out their dense vegetation landscapes for beneficial and beautiful Native plants, thus reducing harborage that mosquitoes love.
A garden scene featuring various plants and vibrant pink flowers, with a pathway and diverse foliage in the background.
Sneak peak image of our California Native plants resources.
The image features text that reads "IN DISEASE CONTROL & MONITORING" beside an illustration of a microscope with a virus graphic.

We continue to focus on maintaining essential vector surveillance including mosquito trap routes, arbovirus testing, providing weekly data to the District, and maintaining the mosquito fish and mosquito colonies.

A person in gloves is examining samples under a microscope in a lab, focused on their task with notebooks nearby.
Image of our Surveillance staff identifying a trap’s mosquito species.

Data Collection

The image is a map showing various locations in California, marked with blue circles that likely represent data points or areas of interest.
Image of average mosquitoes per trap by sampling location and by city/community. The size of the bubbles on the map reflects the relative numbers of mosquitoes caught at each trap.
The pie chart shows species distribution, with "Total Cx quinquefasciatus" dominating at 85.14%, followed by others in smaller percentages.
This month’s data shows that more Cx. quinqufasciatus mosquitoes were caught per trap in comparison to other species of mosquitoes.
  • This month, our goal is to track mosquito abundance early and identify warning areas to focus our control practices.

Before you go, check out the links we love this month …

The image features bold text that says "LINKS WE LOVE" on an orange background.
celebration
NASA discovers new and innovative ways of combating mosquitoes 🦟 
  • NASA scientists are working with local governments, doctors and public health officials, even pest control companies in The GLOBE Program. Participate and submit mosquito habitat observations as a GLOBE school, educator student or citizen scientist.

Learn More

Mosquito Citizen Science 🔬🥼 
  • Students conduct mosquito surveillance by collecting samples from their properties and submitting them to our vector control district. Results are posted anonymously on Padlet. Educators, sign up your class for our fall citizen science programs today!

Learn More

Virus Explorer 🦠 
  • This is the perfect tool to learn about viruses! Classify viruses and explore it’s structure and biology.

Learn More

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Communications Department Mission Statement:

Increase transparency and credibility through multi-media dialogue in order to engage and motivate internal, local, regional, statewide, and nationwide stakeholders to take action and become public health agents of change in their communities.

 

🖋 Written by Ally Gaspar, Outreach Assistant