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 Nov. 3
November still offers good weather for fall planting:
* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.
* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.
* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.
* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.
* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.
* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.
* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.
* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.
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