2017 Mosquito Reports

[wildhiker]

July 21 - Point Moriah trail from Serene Lakes near Donner Summit - no mosquitoes at all - level 1. Elevation 6,800 feet, seemed quite dry, south exposure. Weather warm - max 80 deg.

July 22 - Tahoe Rim Trail from Martis Peak Road to nearly Rose Knob Peak - no mosquitoes at all - level 1. Elevations 8400 to 9400 feet. Open forest and open south facing slopes of bushes and flowering plants. A few snow patches left in shaded north-facing areas. Gentle breeze. Weather warm - about 75 deg. By the way, wildflowers are good and should get better for a week or two.

July 23 - Castle Valley north of Donner Summit - Mosquito level 3 - it seemed like every minute I had to brush one off my arm and got several bites while walking. This area has 20-50% snow coverage still in the denser forest areas above 7600 feet and is very wet everywhere. No wind. Weather warm - about 75 deg. Generally southern aspect. Elevations 7200 to 8000 feet. Wildflowers just starting.

-Phil

[SSSdave]

Dinkey Lakes 7/20-7/22. Constant cloud of mosquitos all times of day at elevations from 9000-10000 feet. Plenty of marshy land for them. DEET helped, but they would bite through any clothing thinner than a down puffy.

Paul

"down puff" = warm and sweaty. Together with neck drape headgear, better to wear a cheap thin nylon shell windbreaker with zippered pockets and without any t-shirt underneath. Mosquitoes proboscis cannot penetrate nylon weaves as they are too dense.

David
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[scap]

Did a monster day loop in desolation and on the 24th around desolation lake and lake of the woods they were a 2

That evening along Glen Alpine trail they were a solid three and pushing a four and aggressively bighting me. No relief until I got down to the trailhead.

[TahoeJeff]

Meeks TH all the way to Stony Ridge was a 0-1 in the mid morning, early afternoon. That was probably due to the warm temps and light to moderate breeze. Then at Stony as the sun set and the winds stopped it became a 3-4. The next morning was dead calm, cool and cloudy. Then it was 4-5!!! Any exposed flesh not doused with deet was set upon by blood suckers. I was camped at the SE corner of the lake, right next to the wettest/swampiest area of the Meeks drainage. I suspect the West shore of Stony and the lower lakes were not as bad.

[karynhiker]

July 20-24, 2017: Crabtree Loop (Crabtree Camp Trailhead --> Bear Lake --> Buck Lakes --> Wood Lakes --> Groundhog Meadow --> back to trailhead)

Mostly the trip was 3 - Moderate during the day, heavy at dawn and dusk (Yellow)
Except for Buck Lakes, which was a 4.

[maverick]

Inyo Co. Sheriff's Dept:

Information from Owens Valley Mosquito Abatement Program and Inyo County Health

West Nile Virus Found in Samples of Mosquitoes Trapped in Inyo County

The Owens Valley Mosquito Abatement Program (OVMAP) confirmed today that some mosquito samples trapped last week tested positive for West Nile Virus. This is the first occurrence of West Nile Virus in Inyo County since 2011. Prior to that, West Nile Virus had been detected periodically in the Owens Valley after first being discovered in our area in 2004. During that period, no human infections were reported, but 3 horses died after being infected with West Nile Virus.

The three positive samples in Inyo County come during the same week that 214 samples were positive for the disease statewide.

“For every 100 people who are bitten by a West Nile Virus-carrying mosquito, only 20 are risk of contracting West Nile Virus, and of those, fewer than 1% are likely to experience life-threatening reactions” according to Inyo County Health Officer, Dr. James Richardson. Nevertheless, the public is urged to take precautions discussed below.

Likewise, while horses are more at risk for contracting the disease, vaccines are available and horse owners are urged to get their horses vaccinated. For more information, please contact your veterinarian.

According to OVMAP Interim Manager Rob Miller, “the positive samples were collected to the southeast of Bishop, in the same trap location that West Nile Virus has been found in prior years”.

Miller said, “This area was heavily treated with an adulticide application following trapping activities due to high adult mosquito populations in the area. This eradication effort has already resulted in significant decreases in the number of mosquitos in this area.”

According to Agricultural Commissioner Nate Reade, “crews will continue to aggressively treat this area until trap results show diminished population levels.”

About 20% of those who are bit by an infected mosquito will experience flu-like symptoms that last a few days and resolve on their own. Over-the-counter pain medications can help reduce fever and relieve some of the symptoms. About 1 out of every 150 people who contract West Nile Virus will develop more serious neurologic illness. If you develop symptoms of severe WNV illness, such as unusually severe headaches or confusion, seek medical attention immediately. Pregnant women and nursing mothers are encouraged to seek medical attention if they develop symptoms commonly associated with WNV.

While this discovery does not indicate a human case of West Nile Virus, it does emphasize the importance of protecting yourself against mosquito bites by:

• Using mosquito repellent. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends using insect repellents containing DEET, Picaridin, or IR3535. Some oil of Lemon eucalyptus and Para-Menthane-Diol products provide similar protection.

• Avoiding outdoor activities if possible during dawn and dusk. This is especially important during the first two hours following sunset, when species that spread West Nile Virus are actively biting.

• Wearing long sleeves and pants. This provides additional protection when used in conjunction with insect repellent

To find more information on West Nile Virus, visit the Centers for Disease Control WNV page at https://www.cdc.gov/westnile/index.html, or the California West Nile Virus website at http://www.westnile.ca.gov/.

Please report mosquito problems to the Owens Valley Mosquito Abatement Program by calling: (760) 873-7853.

[brownsauce]

Camped for a night at the Cottonwood Lakes trailhead before hiking in.

At the trailhead, mosquitoes were a 1 and only present at dusk.

At the lakes, the mosquitoes were a 3-4. They were relatively absent during the day but heavy at dawn and dusk. If you were outside of your tent between 7-9pm there would be at least 20 mosquitoes on you at any given time trying to get a meal. The morning was pretty bad too, but the last morning was surprisingly almost mosquito-free. My guess is that it was due to slightly cooler temperatures and higher winds on the last day.

I also think there were a lot of midges flying around, although I'm not confident in IDing the two different types of bugs unless I can see them up close.

[Space Cat]

Kearsarge Lake : 2
Charlotte Lake junction to Vidette Meadow : 3
Center Basin: 3

[mblakely]

Chilnualna falls, Cresent Lake, Royal Arch Lake, Buena Vista Lake, and Ostrander Lake all 2
Grouse lake and Johnson lake 3

[SSSdave]

July 25>28, Echo Lakes to Lake Aloha zone. Echo L to Triangle Lake Trail junction mid day 1. Keiths Dome soggy snow melt forest mid day 3. Sparse forest camp below top of Keith Dome 2. Deep soggy forest L Margery early morning 2. Ridge line camp 1. Friday hiked from L Aloha to Echo L ferry shirtless without DEET and got 1 bite while taking break on trail side log. Although there are a some mosquitoes in wind protected, wet, shady areas, there are vast other areas with few. Very windy afternoon first 2 days blew many mosquitoes to Nevada. All trip maybe just 5 bites on top of hand. Applied DEET a couple times.

At this point in the summer over many drier landscapes, it appears mosquitoes already peaked at levels below that of average years. However there is considerable snow melting up high and where that snowmelt flows down into shady forest and wet meadows will continue to have mosquitoes into late season.

David
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