Vector Control
Mission
To provide the citizens of Richland County with the most efficient and effective vector control possible, utilizing integrated surveillance and control strategies.
Contact Us
Richland County Vector Control
400 Powell Road
Columbia, SC 29203
Office: 803-576-2459
Vector Control
Vectors are organisms such as ticks, fleas, flies, rats and mosquitoes that can transmit disease to humans. The Richland County Vector Control Program's mission is to provide County residents with the most efficient and effective vector control possible, utilizing integrated surveillance and control strategies. We treat for mosquitoes and, depending on the circumstances, rats, but we do not specifically treat sites for flea and tick problems, instead providing technical assistance to residents so they can make a more informed choice to address their particular problem.
Providing mosquito control services is the largest portion of our program operations. Mosquito nuisance calls are taken throughout the summer, and the County sends an inspector to try and locate the source of the problem. We work with residents to teach them how to protect themselves from mosquito-borne illnesses such as West Nile virus and Eastern equine encephalitis and to suppress the mosquito population in the County.
The mosquito control program employs surveillance to determine the types and level of mosquito activity. The County is divided into more than 54 control areas, or zones. Data is collected from 22 of the more populated zones using New Jersey light traps and rainfall gauges. We participate in West Nile surveillance in partnership with SCDHEC’s Bureau of Laboratories, where we submit mosquito collections taken with CDC and gravid traps and dead birds for disease analysis. This information is used so we may better target our control efforts.
In areas where container-breeding species are prevalent and spraying is usually ineffective, we conduct community surveys to determine the extent these species are present and to educate residents about mosquito biology and prevention techniques. These actions greatly enhance the effectiveness of adulticiding operations.