Latest news with #Bolling
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on the planet': Experts collect, test mosquitos for viruses
AUSTIN (KXAN) — As summer approaches, so do mosquitoes and the threat of the West Nile virus. The West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne disease, and it is commonly spread by the bite of an infected mosquito. In 2024, Texas saw 176 human cases of West Nile according to the CDC. Seven of the cases in 2024 were in Travis County, two were in Hays County, and two were in Williamson County. READ MORE: How to keep mosquitoes away: Tips from Texans, pest control experts It's important to note that there can be more cases than what's reported, as there is a lag in case reporting to the CDC. Some states and territories may publish their data earlier than the CDC. Jason Fritz works with the Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCD) to collect mosquitoes, setting various traps in different cities. 'They're only set for about 12 to 18 hours, and most of the action that these traps get is overnight,' Fritz said. Fritz analyzes how the mosquito populations are fluctuating and the types of mosquitoes that exist. Once Fritz collects the mosquitoes, they are sent to the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) for testing. Bethany Bolling oversees mosquito virus testing at DSHS. 'When we have a positive, we call that a positive mosquito pool,' Bolling said. 'When we refer to a mosquito pool, that's a tube of mosquitoes that came from a certain trap on a certain day that was tested and came up positive for a virus.' The process of testing the mosquitoes consists of a lot of steps, such as freezing, sorting, grinding the mosquitoes, extracting the RNA, etc. If there is a positive result for a virus, Bolling's team will notify the city of where the mosquitoes originated from. 'Mosquitoes are the deadliest animal on the planet,' Bolling said. 'By doing surveillance and providing these services to local jurisdictions—they can monitor mosquitoes in their local area. 'Once they give us those results, I'll use that information to make recommendations to our city officials,' Fritz said. In KXAN's viewing area, there have not been any positive West Nile cases so far this year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Yahoo
The mystery of Northern California's 'exploding' birds is being solved
A recent spate of birds falling dead in one Bay Area neighborhood has turned into a homespun mystery after a resident claimed one exploded, neighbors blamed the local utility company and authorities had to go in to investigate. In April, a resident reported multiple birds were possibly electrocuted by a power line in the unincorporated area of Richmond, northeast of San Francisco, according to the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office. Resident Maximillian Bolling told KGO-TV he witnessed several birds die after perching on power lines and a resident's doorbell camera captured footage of a bird falling after the sound of a loud pop. "So when they land and it happens, they just quickly explode and it's really violent," Bolling said. News of exploding birds travels fast, so local news outlets visited the neighborhood to investigate. Blurred photos from several outlets show dead birds on the ground, with their bodies intact. Residents said they've found 13 altogether in their neighborhood yards. With residents pointing fingers at the local utility, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. sent workers into the neighborhood to check. In a statement, the company said that it appreciated the community's concern and that workers found several bird carcasses and sent two of them to the Department of Fish and Wildlife's Wildlife Health Lab for evaluation. The results showed the birds were not electrocuted, the company said. One of the birds was a mourning dove and the other a European starling. "The pole at issue is compliant with avian safe guidance, as established by the Avian Powerline Interaction Committee," Matt Nauman, a PG&E spokesperson, said in a media statement. The state agency echoed PG&E's statement, saying, "The birds did show injuries consistent with trauma that could possibly have been caused by pellet gun, BB gun or a slingshot." Further tamping down the mystery of it all, the department also received photos of other birds at the location and those too showed signs consistent with trauma, said Krysten Kellum, regional spokesperson for the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The investigation into the bird deaths is still ongoing. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
14-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
The mystery of Northern California's ‘exploding' birds is being solved
A recent spate of birds falling dead in one Bay Area neighborhood has turned into a homespun mystery after a resident claimed one exploded, neighbors blamed the local utility company and authorities had to go in to investigate. In April, a resident reported multiple birds were possibly electrocuted by a power line in the unincorporated area of Richmond, northeast of San Francisco, according to the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office. Resident Maximillian Bolling told KGO-TV he witnessed several birds die after perching on power lines and a resident's doorbell camera captured footage of a bird falling after the sound of a loud pop. 'So when they land and it happens, they just quickly explode and it's really violent,' Bolling said. News of exploding birds travels fast, so local news outlets visited the neighborhood to investigate. Blurred photos from several outlets show dead birds on the ground, with their bodies intact. Residents said they've found 13 altogether in their neighborhood yards. With residents pointing fingers at the local utility, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. sent workers into the neighborhood to check. In a statement, the company said that it appreciated the community's concern and that workers found several bird carcasses and sent two of them to the Department of Fish and Wildlife's Wildlife Health Lab for evaluation. The results showed the birds were not electrocuted, the company said. One of the birds was a mourning dove and the other a European starling. 'The pole at issue is compliant with avian safe guidance, as established by the Avian Powerline Interaction Committee,' Matt Nauman, a PG&E spokesperson, said in a media statement. The state agency echoed PG&E's statement, saying, 'The birds did show injuries consistent with trauma that could possibly have been caused by pellet gun, BB gun or a slingshot.' Further tamping down the mystery of it all, the department also received photos of other birds at the location and those too showed signs consistent with trauma, said Krysten Kellum, regional spokesperson for the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The investigation into the bird deaths is still ongoing.
13-05-2025
Mystery of 'exploding birds' deepens in California city as necropsies suggest foul play
A disturbing avian mystery is unfolding in a Northern California town where residents have reported birds "exploding." Residents of a neighborhood in the Bay Area community of Richmond, northeast of San Francisco, claim they have found multiple dead birds in their yards on their street. Security cameras even recorded one fowl's fatality, showing it falling to its death from a power line after a loud pop was captured in the footage. The mystery deepened on Monday when investigators released the results of necropsies performed on two of the dead birds, suggesting foul play. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Wildlife Health Lab confirmed to ABC News it had received two dead birds -- a mourning dove and a European starling -- and that injuries were consistent with trauma from a pellet gun, BB gun or a slingshot -- not electrocution from power lines. However, the department noted that "the exact cause of the trauma to all of these birds could not be determined." Richmond resident Maximillian Bolling said he witnessed several birds succumb to a horrible death after perching on power lines. "So when they land and it happens, they just quickly explode and it's really violent," Bolling told ABC San Francisco station KGO-TV. Bolling said he and his neighbors counted at least 13 birds that have met a baffling demise. As the casualties have mounted, locals have speculated on everything from the birds being electrocuted by power lines to a phantom serial bird killer being on the loose. Another resident, self-described "animal lover" Sharon Anderson, told KGO-TV that seeing the birds drop dead has been heartbreaking. "It was just horrifying," she said. The wildlife mystery began several months ago when the first birds turned up dead, according to residents. The California State Department of Fish and Wildlife has launched an investigation, a spokesperson for the agency told ABC News on Monday. Some residents have alleged that power lines in the area that belong to the Pacific Gas & Electric Company have something to do with the deaths and have pleaded with the utility company to do something to rectify the problem. But PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian told ABC News on Monday that an investigation has uncovered no evidence that its power lines are the culprit. "We appreciate the concern of our customers in Richmond about the recent series of bird deaths," PG&E said in an additional statement to ABC News. PG&E said it sent crews to examine a power pole in the Richmond neighborhood that residents have cited as the possible root of the lethal problem. The company said the power pole in question is compliant with avian safe guidance established by the Avian Powerline Interaction Committee. The utility company said it asked the Department of Fish & Wildlife to evaluate two of the bird corpses. Bolling said he and his neighbors just want to deaths to stop.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
'Exploding birds' freak out residents in California city
A disturbing avian mystery is unfolding in a Northern California town where residents have reported birds "exploding." Residents of a neighborhood in the Bay Area community of Richmond, northeast of San Francisco, claim they have found multiple dead birds in their yards on their street. Security cameras even recorded one fowl's fatality, showing it falling to its death from a power line after a loud pop was captured in the footage. Richmond resident Maximillian Bolling said he witnessed several birds succumb to a horrible death after perching on power lines. "So when they land and it happens, they just quickly explode and it's really violent," Bolling told ABC San Francisco station KGO-TV. Bolling said he and his neighbors have now counted at least 13 birds that have met a baffling demise. As the casualties have mounted, locals have speculated on everything from the birds being electrocuted by power lines to a phantom serial bird killer being on the loose. Another resident, Sharon Anderson, a self-described "animal lover," told KGO-TV that seeing the birds drop dead has been heartbreaking. "It was just horrifying," Anderson said. The wildlife mystery began several months ago when the first birds turned up dead, according to residents. The California State Department of Fish and Wildlife has launched an investigation, a spokesperson for the agency told ABC News on Monday. MORE: 'World's most dangerous bird' kills 75-year-old man in Florida: Officials Some residents have alleged that power lines in the area that belong to the Pacific Gas & Electric Company have something to do with the deaths and have pleaded with the utility company to do something to rectify the problem. But PG&E spokesperson Tamar Sarkissian told ABC News on Monday that an investigation has uncovered no evidence that its power lines are the culprit. "We appreciate the concern of our customers in Richmond about the recent series of bird deaths," PG&E said in an additional statement to ABC News. PG&E said it sent crews to examine a power pole in the Richmond neighborhood that residents have cited as the possible root of the lethal problem. The company said the power pole in question is compliant with avian safe guidance established by the Avian Powerline Interaction Committee. MORE: Scientists discover surprisingly high number of new bird species on remote island The utility company said it asked the Department of Fish & Wildlife to evaluate two of the bird corpses and that the examinations indicated foul play. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Wildlife Health Lab confirmed to ABC News it had received two dead birds -- a mourning dove and a European starling -- and that injuries were consistent with trauma from a pellet gun, BB gun or a slingshot not electrocution from power lines, but said "the exact cause of the trauma to all of these birds could not be determined." Neighbors have also asked the Contra County Sheriff's Office to look into this situation. A sheriff's department did not respond to a request from ABC News for comment. Bolling said he and his neighbors just want to deaths to stop. "It's very traumatic, super traumatic to see this," Bolling said. 'Exploding birds' freak out residents in California city originally appeared on
