Don't make a home for disease-carrying pests; take precautions
Overwatering a vegetable garden can result in small ditches filled with standing water. Kathy Morrison
No matter the temperature, it’s time for long sleeves and pants – especially if you’re outside at dawn or dusk.
June is the start of mosquito season in Sacramento, and this week’s news is not good. The first mosquito sample of the season tested positive for West Nile Virus, a potentially deadly disease.
The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District took the sample in the city of Isleton. A second sample from Sacramento (zip code 95833) also tested positive.
“As we expected, the very warm weather we’ve had recently increased the number of mosquitoes and accelerated virus activity,” said district manager Gary Goodman in an official statement. “It’s important for residents to take these findings seriously and do everything they can to protect themselves.”
So far, four dead birds – two scrub jays, a magpie and a crow – in Sacramento County have tested positive for West Nile including two just before Memorial Day weekend. Those two were collected near Florin Road in south Sacramento in zip code 95828. The other dead birds were found in 95829 and 95833.
Last year in California, there were 225 confirmed human cases of West Nile, including 15 fatalities, says the district.
In response to the positive samples and dead birds, the district increased trapping and monitoring around Isleton and Sacramento in an effort to pinpoint where mosquitoes may be breeding. Targeted ground spraying may be used to quickly kill breeding adult mosquitoes.
Goodman urged residents to take proper precautions – including long sleeves and pants when mosquitoes are most active. And the use of insect repellent.
“Summer is around the corner and as more people enjoy outdoor activities it’s important to remember that the best protection against mosquito bites is an effective insect repellent,” said Goodman. Residents also are encouraged to report dead birds, neglected pools and other mosquito problems by calling the district hotline at 1-800-429-1022.
In the meantime, don’t give mosquitoes a place to call home. Empty any standing water that may have accumulated around your home in such spots as flower pots and saucers, kids’ toys or old tires. Make sure screens on doors and windows are snug.
Sacramento and Yolo county residents can receive email notifications of upcoming mosquito treatments for their neighborhoods. The listings are available by zip code.
To get on the mailing list as well as the latest mosquito news, go to www.FIGHTtheBITE.net.
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Garden Checklist for week of Feb. 9
Be careful walking or working in wet soil; it compacts easily.
* Keep the irrigation turned off; the ground is plenty wet with more rain on the way.
* February serves as a wake-up call to gardeners. This month, you can transplant or direct-seed several flowers, including snapdragon, candytuft, lilies, astilbe, larkspur, Shasta and painted daisies, stocks, bleeding heart and coral bells.
* In the vegetable garden, plant Jerusalem artichoke tubers, and strawberry and rhubarb roots.
* Transplant cabbage and its close cousins – broccoli, kale and cauliflower – as well as lettuce (both loose leaf and head).
* Indoors, start peppers, tomatoes and eggplant from seed.
* Plant artichokes, asparagus and horseradish from root divisions.
* Plant potatoes from tubers and onions from sets (small bulbs). The onions will sprout quickly and can be used as green onions in March.
* From seed, plant beets, chard, lettuce, mustard, peas, radishes and turnips.
* Annuals are showing up in nurseries, but wait until the weather warms up a bit before planting. Instead, set out flowering perennials such as columbine and delphinium.
* Plant summer-flowering bulbs including cannas, calla lilies and gladiolus.
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