How Henrico County’s Mosquito Team helps to control mosquito populations

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — Henrico County’s Mosquito Team provides education and services to residents to help keep mosquito populations under control and reduce their impact.

According to the county , the mosquito control team is part of Henrico County’s Department of Public Works. The team collects and tests mosquitos for disease, treats habitats to prevent breeding and offers property inspections.

Wes Robertson with the Henrico County Public Works’ Mosquito Team, said one of the most important mosquitos that the team monitors is the Culex pipiens species, which is a known vector within the Henrico area to transmit the West Nile virus.

According to Gina Serge with the county’s Mosquito Team, Culex pipiens, also known as the common house mosquito, prefer more organically polluted natural areas, such as a ditch line, woodland pool or stagnant water.

The Henrico County Mosquito Team treats over 600 sites with an environmental-friendly larvicide that is safe for people, pets, plants and other animals.

“[The larvicide] is only toxic to mosquitos, fungus gnat and black fly larvae,” Serge said. “It is considered a midgut disrupter which means the mosquito larvae needs to ingest it or eat it for it to be killed.”

The team uses a liquid larvicide that is sprayed from a truck or a granular formula that is spread by hand to treat areas with mosquitos.

Serge said the county does not use any adulticide, or an insecticide that is used to kill adult mosquitos, or aerosol spraying. The team only applies a larvicide treatment to standing water.

“We want our citizens to realize there’s multiple habitats for this mosquito throughout the county to be produced in and to lay their eggs in, and therefore, we want to make sure they’re asking those questions when people come to do inspections or treatments that help them get rid of all the mosquitos on their property,” Robertson said.

The county’s Mosquito Team offers inspections for Henrico residents. To learn more about the team or to request a mosquito inspection, visit the county’s website .

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