Meet Your Villains

Southern House Mosquito

Culex Quinquefasciatus better known as the "Southern House Mosquito" is very common in WBR. This mosquito's habitat of choice is water with high amounts of organic matter, such as roadside ditches, sewage oxidation ponds, and above ground sewer treatment plants. Culex Quinquefasciatus is the primary vector of West Nile Virus, St. Louis Encephalitis, and dog heartworm in Louisiana, because of this the bulk of our surveillance and spray programs are targeted towards the control of this species.

Pesticides & Mosquitoes

When we are out Ultra Low Volume spraying at night or spraying larvicide into roadside ditches during the day this is usually the species we are targeting. It is known as the "Southern House Mosquito" because of it's habit of coming into homes at night especially in areas of poor housing, where things like broken screens and poor sealing around window air units allow this species an entrance into the home.

Woodland Mosquito

Psorophora Ferox better known as the "Woodland Mosquito" is very common in the wooded areas of West Baton Rouge Parish. This mosquito is very recognizable with it's white tipped legs and brilliant blue-purple scales. This mosquito can be real pest for homeowners who build on partially cleared woodland lots, and also for hunters who venture into the wooded areas of West Baton Rouge. It is considered to be a potential vector of West Nile Virus but not nearly as efficient as some species in West Baton Rouge.

Increasing Numbers

During times of extreme flooding (hurricanes) the numbers of this species can increase to the point where they begin to leave the wooded areas of the parish and move into the surrounding populated areas.

Dark Rice Field Mosquito

Psorophora Columbiae also known as the "Dark Rice Field Mosquito" is common in West Baton Rouge Parish, especially after periods of heavy rain and flooding. The females of this large dark species are fierce biters, attacking anytime day or night. In cases of extreme numbers they can kill livestock and make it virtually impossible for people to be outdoors.

Psorophora Columbiae is a potential vector of West Nile Virus and a efficient vector of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis.

Malaria Mosquito

Anopheles Quadrimaculatus better known as the "Malaria Mosquito" is fairly common in West Baton Rouge Parish. This species is the principal vector of Malaria east of the Rocky Mountains. It is also a vector of West Nile Virus and dog heart-worm. This mosquito's habitats of choice include swamps and marshes, lake margins, rice fields, and slow moving streams. Anopheles Quadrimaculatus is a large brown colored species with dark spots on each wing.

Floodwater Mosquito

Aedes Vexans also know as the "Floodwater Mosquito" is very common in West Baton Rouge Parish especially after periods of heavy rain and flooding. This species will breed in very high numbers and has a flight range of 5 to 10 miles, with a favorable wind they can even travel 20 to 40 miles.

Truck Spraying

It is because of this that we often get calls from citizens after a night of Ultra Low Volume truck spraying claiming that mosquito populations are worse then they were previous to spraying. In this case a fresh wave of mosquitoes could have come in from anywhere 5 to 40 miles away (such as the swampy areas on Rosedale Road) and replaced the mosquito population that was killed the previous night. This species is known to cause a painful bite and is a potential vector of:

• California Encephalitis
• Dog heart-worm
• Eastern Equine Encephalitis
• West Nile Virus