Rats
Mice
Mosquitoes
West Nile Virus
Red Imported Fire Ants
Ticks
Identify Bugs
Bees, Gophers, Opossums, Raccoons & Snakes
About the District
Can't Find What You
Were Looking For?
RATS
Q: Can you remove the live/dead rat/animal from inside/under
my house? Who can?
A: OCVCD is not licensed to work inside any structure
and this includes the removal of dead animals. We recommend that
you remove the carcass like you would clean up after your dog: use
two plastic bags, place your hand in the bags like a glove, pick
up the carcass with the bags, invert the bags or turn bags inside
out, tie a knot at the end of the bags, and dispose of the carcass
in a trash container with a secure lid.
You can contact Orange County Animal Control at (714)
935-6848 and they will pick up the dead animal. However, they do
not pick up dead rats.
Q: Do you test dead rodents for diseases?
A: We test
freshly killed rodents for diseases but once they are dead, their
blood becomes unusable in minutes.
Q: Do you set traps?
A: No, we don't set traps
because setting traps may require daily attention and we have a limited
number of inspectors.
Q: What else can I do to get rid of the rat instead
of killing it?
A: You can use a live trap to capture the rat, but
you would still need to dispose of it. There is no place to appropriately
dispose of a captured roof rat.
Q: Do you treat in common areas? Who can?
A: We do
not treat in common areas because of liability concerns. You should
contact the city or the owner of the common area.
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MICE
Q: Why do you deal with rats
but not mice?
A: Rats have a higher potential of carrying and
transmitting diseases than mice. Mice are not considered vectors.
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MOSQUITOES
Q: Can you enforce code, or fine people, who
don't keep up their yards/pools/ponds?
A: We can't enforce codes
or fine people; that is the responsibility of city or county Code
Enforcement. We can keep these pools and ponds from producing mosquitoes
if we are aware of their existence.
Q: Why do you treat for mosquito
larvae but not for adult mosquitoes?
A: Mosquito larvae
are easier to locate and control because they are confined to standing
water. Killing the larvae concentrated in a body of water can be
done every 10 days or so and be very effective. Treating adult
mosquitoes should be done every day or two, and still is far less
effective.
Q: Why don't you get rid of
standing water in flood channels instead of just treating it?
A:
OCVCD does not have the equipment to clear and restore free flow
to flood channels. You need to contact your city or Flood Control.
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WEST NILE VIRUS
Q: I do not hear very much about West Nile
virus ( WNV ) any more, has the threat passed?
A: While no longer front page news, West
Nile virus remains a serious threat. Some of the credit for the
reduction is surely due to the behavioral changes made by the public.
The simple steps known to reduce the chances of becoming a WNV
victim have done just that. Rather than treating the decline in
WNV activity as a signal for the public to relax their vigilance,
it should be taken as validation of the effectiveness of those
efforts. People should still follow the advice the District has
been giving since its founding: eliminate standing water, make
sure screens are in good repair (and installed), and wear repellent
(follow all label directions), when outside during periods of mosquito
activity.
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RED IMPORTED FIRE ANTS
Q: How many treatments will my property need for
Red Imported Fire Ants?
A: It takes 3 to 4 visits for a complete
treatment cycle.
Q: Last week you treated my property for Red Imported
Fire Ants, why aren't they gone?
A: The treatment protocol calls
for 3-4 applications of a relatively slow acting material designed
to kill ant colonies, not individual ants. If there are ants after
a fourth treatment, we will repeat the treatment cycle until they
are gone.
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TICKS
Q: Do you test ticks for Lyme
disease?
A: We test the black legged tick, the only
one in the County that is a possible vector of Lyme Disease. For
more information on ticks click
here.
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IDENTIFY BUGS
Q: Can you identify bugs over the phone or by photo?
A:
No, we can not identify bugs over the phone or by photo. It is
sometimes difficult to accurately describe the bug over the phone
or to identify the bug by photo. We do not want to misidentify
the bug and therefore only accept intact bugs that are given to
us in person or mailed to us. A insect
identification form can be obtained from our web
site.
The following are a list of helpful
public websites that serve as insect guides. OCVCD does
not take responsibility for any of the information listed on the
websites.
http://www.whatsthatbug.com
http://www.einsteins-emporium.com/life/animal-info/insects/insect_identification.htm
http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740
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BEES, GOPHERS, OPOSSUMS,
RACCOONS & SNAKES
Q: Does Vector Control handle
bees, especially with the risk of them being Africanized?
A: OCVCD
does not handle bees because we are not trained or equipped to
do so.
Q: Why doesn't OCVCD do anything
about other pests like opossums, raccoons, gophers, bees or snakes?
A:
While these animals are certainly capable of becoming pests, they
are not considered vectors. They are best dealt with by private
pest control companies and local animal control agencies.
VERTEBRATE PEST CONTROL
Raccoons
Opossums
Gophers
Call your local company
BEES
Call your local pest control company or bee removal company
ANIMAL CONTROL
Any stray, found, injured or dead animal
http://www.ocpetinfo.com/
| City |
Telephone # |
| Balboa |
949-644-3681 |
| Buena Park |
562-803-3301 |
| Cerritos |
562-570-7387 |
| Corona Del Mar |
949-644-3681 |
| Costa Mesa |
714-754-5188 |
| Dana Point |
949-492-1617 |
| Irvine |
949-724-7741 |
| La Habra |
562-905-9771 |
|
|
| Laguna Niguel |
949-470-3045 |
| Laguna Woods |
949-497-3552 |
| Long Beach |
562-570-7387 |
| Los Alamitos |
714-824-5848 |
| Mission Viejo |
949-470-3045 |
| Newport Beach |
949-644-3717 |
| Newport Coast |
949-644-3681 |
| OC Animal Control (if your city isn't listed) |
714-935-6848 |
| San Clemente |
949-492-1617 |
| Santa Ana |
714-245-8792 |
| Seal Beach |
562-570-7387 |
| South County |
949-249-5160 |
| Westminster |
714-898-3315 |
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ABOUT THE DISTRICT
Q: What is the Orange County Vector Control District?
A: The Orange County Vector Control District (OCVCD) is a special
district that was established in 1947, originally as the Orange
County Mosquito Abatement District. The District was responsible
for protecting the growing population of Orange County from mosquitoes
and mosquito-born diseases. In 1975, the Orange County Board
of Supervisors conducted an efficiency study that concluded that
the District could effectively assume the responsibility for
comprehensive vector control, and so fly and rat control, formerly
part of the Orange County Health Department, was transferred
to the District. At that time the name of the District was changed
to the Orange County Vector Control District. In 2004, the District
reestablished a Red Imported Fire Ant program after the State
quit funding the program they had established in 2000.
Q: What is a “Special District”?
A: The law defines
a special district as “any
agency of the state for the local performance of governmental
or proprietary functions within limited boundaries” (Government
Code §16271 [d]). In other words, a special district is
a separate local government that delivers public services to
a specific area.
A special district is governed by a board of Trustees or Directors.
In the case of the OCVCD the board is made up of a representative
from each city in the County, and one from the County at large.
In 1947, that totaled 11 members. There are now 34 cities in
Orange County , resulting in a 35 member Board of Trustees. The
Board provides direction for the District Manager, who is responsible
for the day to day operation of the District.
Q: How many employees are there at OCVCD?
A:
The Orange County Vector Control District has 55 full time employees.
During the months of peak activity, from March to November, the
District historically hires a seasonal workforce. For that period,
there are as many as 75 extra help employees performing tasks
like treating gutters, flood channels, and underground storm
drains.
Q: By what authority does the OCVCD operate?
A: The Orange County Vector Control District
was formed according to guidelines set forth by the Mosquito
Abatement Act of 1915 and the California Health and Safety Code.
In 2002 Senate Bill 1588 amended the code, and is known as the
Mosquito Abatement and Vector Control District Law. The District
remains in compliance with and operates under the authority provided
for in the Mosquito Abatement and Vector Control District Law.
Q: What authority regarding access to private
property does this law provide?
A: Subject to the limitations
of the United States Constitution and the California Constitution,
employees of a district may enter any property within the district,
or property located outside the district from which vectors may
enter the district without hindrance or notice for any of the
following purposes:
(1) Inspect the property to determine the presence of vectors
or public nuisances.
(2) Abate public nuisances pursuant to this chapter, either
directly or by giving notice to the property owner to abate the
nuisance.
(3) Determine if a notice to abate a public nuisance has been
complied with.
(4) Control vectors and treat property with appropriate physical,
chemical or biological control measures.
Q: How is the OCVCD funded?
A: The Orange County Vector Control
District receives funding from two assessments: one imposed in
1992, for $1.92; and a second was approved by property owners
in 2004 to reestablish a fire ant program, stepped up West Nile
virus suppression and replace funding lost to the state resulting
from the ERAF shift. This second assessment was approved at $5.42
per single family home with a 3% inflation factor built in. The
assessment however has been reduced three times and is now $5.06.
The District also receives a small piece of the basic property
tax levy.
Q: What is the annual budget for the OCVCD,
and how is it allocated?
A: The District's annual budget in 2007-2008 is about $8,700,000.
The Executive Department accounts for 7%, Administrative Services
accounts for 11%, Communications receives 9%, Scientific and
Technical Services is allocated 14%, and operations is budgeted
59%. More detail is available on the website under “District
Info.”
Q: Following the passage of the Benefit
Assessment, the District reestablished a Red Imported Fire
Ant program. How many new public employees were added?
A: Thanks to a unique partnership with
the private sector, the entire fire ant program was staffed by
adding only five full-time employees. Fire ant sites identified
and treated for the first time by OCVCD staff. Subsequent treatments
are performed by the private pest control companies the District
has trained and contracted with. Following multiple treatments
by the pest control companies, District staff makes the final
treatment and inspection. If there are still fire ants present,
the cycle starts over.
Q: The County has grown. What has the District
done to keep pace?
A: Recently, the District increased the number of field
inspectors from 16 to 20, the first expansion since 1976. These
new inspectors will allow the workload to be more effectively
distributed and was made necessary by the dramatic growth in
the southern part of the County. This expansion was part of a
reorganization that reduced administrative staff by 30% and increased
the number of field staff.
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