HOUSTON – Getting bitten?
If you’ve got a problem with mosquitoes in your area, there are ways to request help from your county.
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Brazoria County
The Pearland Mayor Kevin Cole alerted us to this form in Brazoria County that residents can use to request help for spraying property.
The form asks for your location, name and contact information and the time of day when mosquitoes are most active.
KPRC 2 called around and scoured websites in nearby counties and located this information about getting help with mosquitoes, though it seems a bit more nuanced in some counties.
Chambers County
Chambers County has a Mosquito Control Form you can access here. The Chambers County Mosquito Control offices are located at 336 Airport Road, Anahuac, Texas, 77514. The office can be reached during normal business hours from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at 409-267-2720. The website notes, “When the mosquitoes are bad, you may have to call several times in order to get through. Please be nice to our secretary when you call - remember, it’s not her fault!”
Galveston County
Galveston County publishes its spray schedule and maps here. Mosquito Control services are available to all county residents. Direct services include: inspections, larvicide applications, and truck sprays. The county does not spray private roads or properties.
Harris County
In Harris County, the Mosquito & Vector Control Division offers services to monitor the breeding of mosquitoes and prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases in Harris County. In its materials, it notes, however, that it does not provide spraying services.
You can submit a form -- an Inspection Request for Mosquito Breeding Site -- to talk with a representative from the HCPH Mosquito Control Division regarding the mosquito problem you are experiencing. If needed, the office will schedule an inspection of your property for potential mosquito breeding sites. During the inspection, any mosquito breeding sites will be identified and source reduction recommendations will be provided. It notes, “This is not a request for treatment to eliminate mosquitoes.”
Harris County does have an interactive map that shows areas where spraying has been proposed and has occurred this year.
Fort Bend County
Fort Bend Health and Human Services shares this information on its website:
“When an area has mosquito samples that test positive for West Nile virus, Fort Bend County Road & Bridge, or the appropriate city department, takes a focused response to prevent mosquito breeding by increasing spraying and larviciding in the area until a sample of mosquitoes tests negative for the virus. Fort Bend County does NOT spray for nuisance mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are sprayed for vector borne disease prevention only. Testing is conducted by trapping mosquitoes and submitting the sample to be tested for viruses. Mosquitoes positive for West Nile virus do not necessarily lead to human cases of disease.
“Fort Bend County said it monitors the type and numbers of mosquitoes present and submits samples for WNV testing. The county also sprays for nuisance mosquitoes but increases spraying and larviciding in areas where mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile virus.”
Montgomery County
In the event that mosquitoes test positive for West Nile virus we will then treat the affected areas via truck using a ULV (Ultra Low Volume) fogger. After completion of the pesticide treatment, testing of the area will resume to determine if disease activity is still present.
To prevent the abundance of nuisance mosquitoes and the potential for disease carrying mosquitoes, we attempt to control them in their larval stage. With the help of the county residents we search for areas of standing water that mosquitoes need to survive. If the water cannot be drained we will then treat the water with a larvacide that will kill the larvae.
Wharton County
The City of Wharton sprays for mosquitoes as needed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. One half of the city is sprayed on Tuesday and the other half on Wednesday. Spraying is not done if there is rain or the wind is over 10 mph. People with mosquito issues are asked to call City Hall and requests are referred to the county’s maintenance department.