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Bay County Mosquito Control has had an eventful start to the 2026 season. Record rainfall during March and April created ideal conditions for mosquito development in spring-flooded woodlots, but also allowed for a successful aerial treatment program that helped reduce early-season mosquito populations. A calmer and drier May provided a welcome break and helped keep mosquito activity manageable as we trained new seasonal staff. After 10 years with the program, we unfortunately said goodbye to Biologist Kristy Engstrom who moved on to a new career path, however we were excited to welcome Dr. Katie King, as our new Biologist. Katie worked in our laboratory as a college student before building a successful career in pathology and public health. Her expertise will be a tremendous asset to our surveillance, research, and public health efforts.
June has brought a new set of challenges, with frequent rain events across much of Bay County. Some areas received more than four inches of rainfall in just over a week, creating numerous mosquito breeding sites and keeping our staff busy with surveillance and control activities. We have also put our drone program to work this season, using aerial imagery to identify mosquito habitats, improve mapping efforts, and capture photos and videos to help showcase our operations. Our surveillance program has already detected this season's first positive mosquito samples for both West Nile virus and Jamestown Canyon virus, occurring at approximately the same time as last year. While this timing is not unexpected, it serves as an important reminder that mosquito-borne viruses are present in our area and reinforces the value of continued surveillance and control efforts. As we move into the busy summer festival season throughout Bay County, our team remains focused on monitoring mosquito populations, responding to changing conditions, and helping residents and visitors enjoy outdoor events with fewer mosquito concerns. Wishing you all a safe and successful season ahead. Rebecca Brandt, Manager |
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After a few dry springs in recent years, the spring of 2026 saw return to rain levels more in line with historic averages. This resulted in a healthy hatch of woodlot Aedes species. A total of 67,256 acres of flooded woodlots were treated among aerial, drone and foot crews.
Nighttime fogging commenced on 15 May and a number of sites were fogged with handheld units and the John Deere Gator due to the spring mosquito burden. This spring Midland County welcomed Sanford Lake back, six years after it drained due to the dam failures. This was a welcomed development, not only for the restoration of the lake, but also since it eliminated a lot of Ae. vexans and Culex habitat that had emerged with the lakebed exposure. In early June the Biology section began submitting mosquitoes for virus testing. With this came notice of an Aedes stimulans that tested positive for Jamestown Canyon virus (JCV). Though this virus has been known to be in the area for decades, it had never been positively sampled in Midland County. JCV is a California Serogroup virus that also includes La Crosse virus. Whitetail deer serve as a host and spring Aedes (Ae. stimulans, Ae. canadensis) and Anopheles punctipennis are known to vector it. Symptoms following an infected bite are most often mild if experienced at all, but it does seem to be popping up more in recent years. As summer is officially here we await what lies ahead for rainfall, which along with disease surveillance markers are the main drivers throughout the remainder of the mosquito season. Wishing you all a productive and safe summer as we celebrate 250 years as a nation! Carl Doud, Director |
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With the arrival of the Fourth of July, summer activities are well underway, including family travel, community festivals, and local events. This point in the year also marks the midpoint of our mosquito control operations.
Our season began in March with the hatching of snowmelt Aedes mosquitoes. This was followed by increasing Culex activity in artificial habitats across urban and rural areas, and more recently, the early emergence of permanent-water species such as the cattail mosquito. As seasonal mosquito activity has increased, our abatement efforts have remained fully engaged. This season has been shaped by significant weather fluctuations. Spring brought unusually high water levels not seen in decades, followed by prolonged cool conditions into May. Mid-May through early June shifted to very warm and somewhat dry weather. Rain returned in June along with cooler temperatures, stimulating lawn growth and producing localized pulses of biting summer floodwater mosquitoes. As of this writing, we anticipate a noticeable level of nuisance mosquitoes during local events celebrating America's 250th Anniversary. These weather conditions have also coincided with expected virus activity, as Jamestown Canyon virus was again detected in spring Aedes populations, with three Aedes canadensis collections testing positive. This recurring pattern indicates that the virus is well established in local mosquito and deer populations. We anticipate the first West Nile virus detections by mid-July. Seasonal Activity SummaryApril
Have a safe and enjoyable summer. Bill Stanuszek, Director |
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The month of July marks the halfway point of the mosquito season and we continue to maintain our treatment goals. Up to this point, the season has remained unusually calm. I contribute this to larviciding efforts this spring and the cooler temperatures we have experienced in the months of May and June. Trap counts have also remained low, and no mosquito-borne viruses have been detected at this time.
Nighttime truck fogging and residential yard treatments began in mid-May; however, we were shut down several nights due to weather conditions. The new Frontier Precision GIS tablets are now in full operation regarding truck-fogging routes and record keeping. In early spring the Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of two new trucks that will replace older ones which have reached their mechanical limits. Recently, we have received approval to purchase a new off-road utility vehicle to help assist us in treating all golf courses, parks and rail trails in the county. The 2026 free tire collection began on May 9th in the village of Cass City. Six other townships will also be participating during the summer months. Again, we are grateful to Tuscola County Recycling for their continuing partnership and support in making this program a big success. I wish all of you success in the remaining half of the mosquito season and enjoy the beautiful summer days. Larry Zapfe, Director |
