Leavenworth Mosquito Control District Annexation

An annexation measure for two pieces of land by the Leavenworth Mosquito Control District will be on the ballot this fall. If added, these two pieces of land would be added to areas treated for mosquito control by the district. The two areas of land to be annexed are the Copper Notch Basin and land north and east of Safeway.

 

The Copper Notch Basin measure starts at Old Bridge Road and ends at the Icicle RV Park. It includes the Sleeping Lady and land across the river from the Sleeping Lady. The second plot of land for annexation includes land between the KOA and Safeway and land following the highway towards Peshastin. 

 

In order to be on the ballot for annexation, signatures were obtained from residents living in the new areas. Once the signatures were obtained, they were turned into the Chelan County office in order to be an initiative on the ballot. If the items receive a majority vote, these areas will be added to the basin.

 

Jennifer Mulllins, manager of the Leavenworth Mosquito Control District, said most measures pass with around eighty percent of the vote. Next year another piece of land will be up for annexation. This piece of land is north of the Sleeping Lady on both sides of Icicle Road. 

 

Last year, Mullins received complaints about mosquitoes which originated around the Copper Notch Basin and impacted those around East Leavenworth Road. This year she is currently treating the Copper Notch Basin even though it is not a part of the district because mosquitoes from the Basin became a problem within the district.

 

If those areas were added to the Mosquito Control District, landowners would pay $25 per parcel in property taxes for mosquito control. This season the Copper Notch Basin is being treated without paying property taxes. Being added to the district also means that landowners are giving the district permission to enter their land for the purposes of mosquito control. 

 

Mullins said she kills mosquito larvae using Bacillus thuringiensis serotype israelensis, or B.t.i, which is a bacteria with several toxins that kill mosquito larvae. She said that so far there is no resistance to the pesticide, meaning the larvae have not adapted to fight off the pesticide and it is still just as effective in killing larvae as when she started treating. 

 

Mullins said that B.t.i is a pesticide that only harms mosquito larvae and closely related species like black fly larvae. It does not harm fish or other animals in the habitat. Mullins also uses dry ice traps to capture adult mosquitoes to monitor how effective her mosquito control has been. The goal is to capture as few adult mosquitoes as possible.

 

If she captures ten adult mosquitoes of the Culex genus, Mullins has to test them for West Nile virus. The Culex genus of mosquitoes is the only variety of mosquito that carries West Nile virus. To qualify for West Nile virus testing, at least ten Culex mosquitoes need to be captured during one annual season. At least ten Culex mosquitos are captured roughly two-thirds of the years. 

 

Culex are the type of mosquitoes that breed in people’s backyards in standing water. More commonly, Mullins finds Aedes mosquitoes which lay their eggs in moist areas which will become flooded.

 

Aedes mosquitoes prey on mammals, including humans, while the Culex mosquitoes prey frequently on birds and less frequently on humans. Because they prey on birds Culex mosquitoes are the variety that carry West Nile virus since birds are carriers of the virus. 

 

Mullins said in order to help control mosquitoes people should check their backyards for sources of standing water. The most common sources of standing water are puddles leftover from sprinklers, buckets, tarps, and tires. If there is standing water in your backyard, be sure to dump it out. Dumping out standing water will help to diminish the mosquito population.

 

If you see two or more mosquitoes and live within two miles of the City of Leavenworth, call Jennifer Mullins at (509)-548-5904 with your location to report a mosquito sighting.