By Misty Cryer Mosquitoes and Insecticide Resistance: Should we be worried, and what can we, as residents of Carlsbad, do to help? As many Carlsbad residents have noticed, the summer rains really brought the mosquitoes out. While Eddy County’s vector control activities have continued, there is always that concerning reality that the current crop of mosquitoes may be especially resistant to extermination efforts. Knowing that mosquitoes can be vectos of mosquito borne diseases, this question is likely to present itself, “What can we, as residents of Carlsbad, do to keep mosquito borne viruses at bay and to keep our families safe?” According to Widespread insecticide resistance in Aedes aegypti L. from New Mexico, U.S.A.(Kandel et al, 2019), mosquitoes from Carlsbad, and other cities, were included in a study of one type of mosquito, the Aedes Aegypti, a mosquito that originated from Africa. This study revealed widespread insecticide resistance among this species, along with this statement, “This species has established endemic populations in all cities across southern New Mexico sampled to date. "When asked why this mosquito was chosen to studying his lab, Dr. Immo A. Hansen, Professor of the Department of Biology for New Mexico State University at Las Cruces, indicated that the Aedes Aegypti is not the greatest concern of New Mexico; however, it is the most dangerous. He confirmed that outbreaks of Zika were of previous concern and that outbreaks Dengue viruses would be of utmost concern for the state, but currently, there ions need for alarm, "The virus is not here, but the mosquito is”. Dr. Hansen explained further that insecticide resistance would present a challenge in being prepared to intervene if this species of mosquito became infected and began to transmit viruses. “The mosquito can become infected when its bloodmeal is taken from a sick person. "When asked how big the risks of out breaks of these viruses happening in New Mexico, he replied that is more of opinion than science, but shared his take on the matter, "Relatively low, but not impossible”. Vector Control is a Public Works service offered by Eddy County. Suggestions for property owners and residents for helping with vector control are offered on the Eddy County website. As residents, we can help by making sure standing water on our property is emptied at least once a week, if not more often, to disrupt the reproduction process, and doing what we can to avoid the bite. This includes limiting your time outdoors when mosquitoes are present, making sure screens are in place on doors and windows, removing weeds and brush, using mosquito repellent, and wearing long sleeves and pants when mosquitoes are present. In addition, Eddy County does offer Gambusia minnows to help to control mosquito reproduction from stock ponds, tanks and fountains, to help to address the issue. Jeri Strong, Public Information Officer for Eddy County suggests, “The best way to get vector control services, or any other public service offered by the county, is to report a concern using the Eddy County website.” This is the link that Jeri provided for such reports; http://www.co.eddy.nm.us/FormCenter/Public-Works-7/Road-Issue-Form-77Citation: Kandel Y, Vulcan J, Rodriguez SD, Moore E, Chung H-N, Mitra S, et al. (2019) Widespread insecticide resistance in Aedes aegypti L. from New Mexico, U.S.A. PLoS ONE 14(2): e0212693. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0212693