On Aug. 26, at 1 p.m. CT, the Swine Health Information Center and the American Association of Swine Veterinarians will co-host a webinar, Mitigation Strategies for Mosquitos as an Emerging Threat to Swine Health. Conducted by the Iowa State University Swine Medicine Education Center, the webinar will feature subject matter experts sharing insights on entomology and mosquito life cycles, experience on managing mosquitos in and around swine farms, and best control practices to reduce the impact of insect bites on pork production.

Click here to register for the webinar.

Webinar participants will hear presentations including an overview of mosquito biology such as feeding behavior and habitat needs, a review of challenges due to increased mosquito populations observed on-farm, a summary of experiences with mosquito management strategies, impact on swine health and pork production, and best practices for controlling mosquito population growth in and around swine farms now.

Mosquitos, an inconvenient part of warm weather and heavy rain, can pose significant challenges when their populations rise. This year’s unusual rainfall during spring and summer in many parts of the country has provided ideal conditions for explosive mosquito population growth. Mosquitos can transmit many pathogens to animals and humans and, consequently, pose a risk to swine health and production.

The Swine Health Information Center, launched in 2015 with Pork Checkoff funding, protects and enhances the health of the U.S. swine herd by minimizing the impact of emerging disease threats through preparedness, coordinated communications, global disease monitoring, analysis of swine health data and targeted research investments.