As recent rain reminds us, winter is just around the corner. That means rats and mice are likely to be lurking around the corners of homes and yards. Why? Rats and mice actually have something in common with humans; neither one of us likes to be cold and wet outside during the winter months, so these rodents will be looking for shelter in short order.

Rats and mice can find that shelter in dense vegetation, wood piles and poorly sealed holes, cracks or doorways that allow them to gain easy access into a home or structure. Rats can even find shelter in something as seemingly unimportant as a pile of leaves. They will use vines or tree limbs hanging over a home to gain access to a home's roof. They can find food on old fruit trees going dormant and in spring gardens left to die for the winter. click here to continue... 

 

 

As Americans mark Veterans Day each November, here in Contra Costa County, there is a small group of "public servants" who become "veterans" at the same time, but they largely go unnoticed. They are veterans in the fight against mosquito-borne illness, including West Nile Virus.
 
For decades, the Contra Costa Mosquito and Vector Control District has used chickens to predict high risk areas for mosquito-transmitted disease. Each spring, CCMVCD distributes 55 chickens to five locations across the county. This year those locations included Knightsen, Oakley, Martinez, Hercules and Walnut Creek. In each location, residents volunteer to care for the chickens.
 
Twice a month, CCMVCD laboratory staff members take a few drops of blood from each chicken's comb. They then test the blood to see if each chicken has been exposed to mosquito-borne illness, like West Nile virus. If a chicken tests positive, staff members know where to direct efforts to protect public health from these potentially dangerous diseases.    click here to continue....