West Nile threatens Yellow Springs

Please get rid of standing water!

Kendra Cipollini in YS received a brochure from the Greene County CCHD in her mailbox today that West Nile has been found in the village. What she further wrote is very worth passing on:

They will be spraying pesticide in the next week. My husband and I have noticed a huge uptick in the species that carries West Nile, the Asian tiger mosquito, in the past two years. This species is different than most native mosquitoes in two aspects (aside from being the disease vector). 1. The tiger mosquito is active even during the day, while our native mosquitoes tend to be bothersome mostly at dusk. It has been horrible to be out gardening in our yard the past two years, as the tiger mosquitoes are out even on a bright sunny day. Aside from this identifying behavior, they are easily identified by the white stripes on their body. 2. Tiger mosquitoes are primarily container breeders, while native mosquitoes use mostly natural water sources, such as tree holes and pools. What this means is that we are ultimately responsible for providing breeding habitat for the tiger mosquitoes. They breed in bird baths, pet dishes, garden fountains, clogged up gutters, baby pools, tires, pieces of plastic, cemetery urns, flower pots, etc. much more than the native mosquitoes. So we collectively could reduce this problem by going out in our yard and dumping all those various things in our yard that collect water.

Spread the word to everyone to get rid of all these sources of standing water. Yet another invasive species causing problems in the village.

Kendra Cipollini