OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE VIRGINIA MOSQUITO CONTROL ASSOCIATION
OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE VIRGINIA MOSQUITO CONTROL ASSOCIATION
Virtual option continues to be available - see below.
Virginia Mosquito Control Association is holding its annual Adult Mosquito Identification Course on Monday, May 8, 2023 at Suffolk Mosquito Control, 800 Carolina Road, Suffolk, Virginia 23434 in the administration building, training room 128. This will be a one-day event. The class will be conducted by VMCA’s Education Committee and taught by local Virginia mosquito control biologists.
While we aim to be as current and informative about our local (mainly Tidewater area) species as time allows, this class will not be strict taxonomy, but more of a practical training geared toward seasonal interns, summer part-time biology positions, or mosquito biologists new to the area. Class size is limited to 30; attendees should have mosquito surveillance and/or identification in their job description and duties. New participants will take precedence over returning individuals; if space is available then others will be accepted.
Sign-up is on a first-come basis so please sign up early! Email your name and organization to Education Committee Chair Katherine Reutt, kreutt@cityofchesapeake.net in order to register for the course.
Registration closes April 28th
A light breakfast and lunch will be provided by VMCA. If you have dietary restrictions and/or would like to bring your own food, a refrigerator/freezer and microwave are available.
Please see below for the class agenda, student supply list, directions, and more. An order form for the recommended ID guide is provided if needed (also available here: https://www.ncmvca.org/).
If you are missing anything from the supply list, please notify Katherine when signing up.
After May 3, point of contact for coordinating supplies drop-off or other questions:
Karen Akaratovic, Suffolk Mosquito Control (kakaratovic@suffolkva.us , 757-514-7608)
In addition to this year's in-person class, the VMCA will continue to offer the virtual mosquito identification course. The course is conducted through the joint effort of VA mosquito control biologists, FREE, and posted on this page to view at your own pace.
This course is not strict taxonomy but is more of a practical training geared toward seasonal interns, field technicians, or biologists new to the area who will be performing adult mosquito speciation. The course will cover general mosquito information including anatomy, bionomics, diseases, fieldwork concerns, and laboratory protocols. Those species occurring in Virginia will be the focus; genera covered include: Aedes, Anopheles, Coquillettidia, Culex, Culiseta, Orthopodomyia, Psorophora, Toxorhynchites, and Uranotaenia.
Normally when VMCA hosts this course, it is done live and there are hands-on specimen ID sections to practice identifying species in each genera. Therefore, in order to get the most out of this virtual course, it is recommended (not required) that you have access to the following:
We hope that you find this course useful and feel free to share it with whomever could benefit. For each presentation below, you may contact each speaker with questions regarding their material if they have listed their contact information within their presentation. If a speaker's contact information is not listed or for any other questions please contact us at virginiamosquito@gmail.com
Thank you!
Recommended literature for identifying adult mosquitoes in the Mid-Atlantic Region
A few people have had issues getting the videos below to load. If that is the case, please go directly to the YouTube playlist by clicking the button below.
Wes Robertson, Entomologist for Henrico County Public Works provides an overview of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and general mosquito biology
Lisa Wagenbrenner, Director of Chesapeake Mosquito Control Commission discusses concerns and animal encounters during field work
Janice Pulver, Biologist for York County Mosquito Control demonstrates various adult mosquito trapping methods
Jay Kiser, Biologist for the City of Suffolk Mosquito Control, gives an overview of how to set up and use a microscope, how to manipulate mosquito specimens for identification, and demonstrates use of a dichotomous key to genus level
Jay Kiser, Biologist for the City of Suffolk Mosquito Control teaches viewers about the Aedes genus in Virginia
Michael Bowry, Biologist for the City of Hampton Public Works teaches viewers about the Anopheles genus in Virginia
Karen Akaratovic, Biologist for the City of Suffolk Mosquito Control teaches viewers about the Culex genus in Virginia
Jennifer Barritt, Biologist for Virginia Beach Mosquito Control teaches viewers about the "minor" genera (coined term due to very few species in each) in Virginia which includes: Coquillettidia, Culiseta, Orthopodomyia, Toxorhynchites, and Uranotaenia
Penelope Smelser, Environmental Health Specialist for Norfolk Department of Public Health teaches viewers about the Psorophora genus in Virginia
Copyright © 2022 Virginia Mosquito Control Association - All Rights Reserved.
Website Chair Karen Akaratovic (kakaratovic@suffolkva.us)
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