Mosquito Control

Reporting

How can you help? We need to know about green pools, spas, non-draining boats, old tires, or anything that is non-maintained and holds water. The City can only address issues that are visible from a public right of way (i.e. alley, sidewalk or street).

To report issues, please submit a Mosquito Concern Report or call (972) 624-3160 so we can address health hazards. Provide an address or a specific location of the hazard when contacting City of The Colony employees. If you leave a voice mail you must leave an address of the problem.

Protection

The first line of defense against mosquito-borne illness is to check your outdoor surroundings for suitable mosquito breeding grounds. Old tires, upright containers or anything that might hold runoff water for more than a week should be removed or corrected.

The Colony is actively working in conjunction with the Denton County Health Emergency Alert Response Team to educate the public on the facts about mosquito-borne illnesses and how to best protect yourself and the community from these little pests. Remember the four D’s for protection against West Nile Virus:

• Dress to protect: wear long sleeves and long pants.
• Dusk, Daytime and Dawn: protect yourself against mosquitoes anytime you are outside.
• Defend: wear insect repellent with DEET, Picaridin, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus or an effective alternative.
• Drain standing water: eliminate any water that stands for longer than 5 days or treat water with larvicide according to the label.

West Nile virus only shows symptoms in about 20% of those individuals infected. These symptoms usually appear in 2-4 days and last about one week. Mild infections are known as West Nile Fever. Serious cases affect only about 1% of those infected, and these are marked by symptoms noted on the left in the info provided by the CDC.

Just because a mosquito (or several mosquitoes) bites you does not mean you will get sick. Also, just because a human positive may be reported in your neighborhood does not necessarily mean that the exposure happened in your neighborhood. Always take action to protect yourself!

Any water that stands for five days or longer will produce mosquitoes. Usually shallow water in full sun and water with minnows is not a problem. Watch plant saucers, grate drains, buckets, tires, and water cans - anything that holds water and remains undisturbed for five days or longer. Drain these spots if you can or apply larvicide according to the label.

Spraying

Check our site regularly for notifications below regarding spray treatment of mosquitoes. When spraying is necessary, this page will display the area of the city where treatments will be applied 48 hours prior to application. Mosquito season runs from May 1 through October 31. During this time period there is weekly mosquito trapping and testing performed. Spraying is conducted when tests confirm the presence of West Nile mosquitoes in a particular area.

Mosquitoes & COVID-19

From the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) -

• Mosquitoes and ticks can’t spread all types of viruses.
• At this time, we have no data to suggest that COVID-19 or other similar coronaviruses (e.g. SARS, MERS) are apread by mosquitoes or ticks.
• For a virus to pass to a person through a mosquito or tick bite, the virus must be able to replicate inside the mosquito or tick.

From the WHO (World Health Organization) -

• The new coronavirus CANNOT be transmitted through mosquito bites.
• To date there has been no information nor evidence to suggest that the new coronavirus could be transmitted by mosquitoes.
• The new coronavirus is a respiratory virus which spreads primarily through droplets generated when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose.
• To protect yourself, clean your hands frequently with an alcohol-based hand rub or wash them with soap and water.
• Also, avoid close contact with anyone who is coughing and sneezing.

Read more on this topic HERE.