Vector Control
Forsyth County Department of Public Health Division of Environmental Health Vector
Control Section
The Forsyth County Vector Control Section provides consultation and investigates
complaints concerning mosquitoes, ticks, bed bugs, and rat bites when a rat has
bitten a human. The primary emphasis of the Section is on mosquito control activities.
Personnel in this Section are licensed as Public Pesticide Operators in the Public
Health category by the North Carolina Pesticide Board.
The Section applies integrated pest management (IPM) practices and provides educational
information concerning pest management, the safe use of repellents, on-site demonstrations
of source reduction control methods, and the safe use of environmentally friendly
biological and chemical control methods.
This Section functions in a pro-active manner working to eliminate mosquito habitat
and/or utilize biological and chemical products that target the larval stages of
mosquitoes. The Vector Control Section actively searches for water sources which
nurture and sustain mosquito larva. Once habitat is located, property owners are
provided information on how to manage their own property using IPM practices. If
the site is large, the Vector Control Section will monitor and treat as necessary
to prevent future mosquito hatches.
Such pro-active methods like reducing the number of larval mosquitoes in a community,
is a standard preventive practice that not only reduces the numbers of pest mosquitoes,
but also reduces the potential for mosquito-borne disease transmission to humans
and domestic animals in the community.
There are currently seven mosquito-borne diseases found in humans and/or their pets
in North Carolina, with the most common being West Nile Virus, Eastern Equine Encephalitis,
and La Crosse viruses, plus dog heartworm. Currently, the Section traps adult mosquitoes
in various locations of the county, identifies the species trapped, and tests pools
of trapped mosquitoes for the prevalence of the West Nile Virus. The data collected
is utilized to determine an appropriate plan of action to reduce the exposure of
citizens of Forsyth County to mosquito-borne diseases.
The Forsyth County Vector Control Section strives to provide a quality program that
educates, protects and minimizes the potential for spread of disease in the community.