rodent
Plague warning in South Lake Tahoe closes parking lots at three popular beach areas
Submitted by paula on Wed, 09/02/2020 - 4:52pm
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The parking areas at the Tallac Historic Site, Kiva Beach/Picnic area and the Taylor Creek Visitor Center are temporarily closed to allow for treatment to mitigate fleas in the area, which have tested positive for plague bacteria.
South Lake Tahoe resident tests positive for plague, most likely from flea bite
Submitted by paula on Mon, 08/17/2020 - 11:29am
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - A South Lake Tahoe resident has tested positive for plague according to El Dorado County health officials. The individual is currently under the care of a medical professional and is recovering at home.
It’s believed that the person, an avid walker, may have been bitten by an infected flea while walking their dog along the Truckee River Corridor north of Highway 50 or the Tahoe Keys area in South Lake Tahoe. Health officials started investigating the situation after being notified by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH).
The time is here to place yellow jacket traps out in South Lake Tahoe
Submitted by paula on Sun, 05/10/2020 - 6:57pm
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It still isn't too late to prevent pesky yellow jacket interruptions of July and August picnics and outside dinners in Lake Tahoe. Now is the time to prepare by placing traps for the queens as they start to emerge from their winter hibernation.
The queens are the only bee colony member to hibernate in the winter. She emerges in spring and begins to look for a suitable place to build a nest and begin her new colony. By the end of summer one colony can have 4,000 to 5,000 yellow jackets.
The buzz about yellowjacket season in South Lake Tahoe
Submitted by paula on Wed, 08/28/2019 - 7:41pm
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - Yellowjackets - they seem to appear whenever you sit down for your picnic lunch or other outside dining enjoyment in Lake Tahoe, especially in the months of July and August.
While the uninvited guests have some redeeming qualities they are predatory, sting pets and humans and are capable of stinging multiple times. Their aggressive behavior ruins many the outside activity. Yellowjackets are actually wasps but shouldn't be confused with other wasps, such as hornets and paper wasps. They are often mistakenly called "bees" (as in "meat bees").
Lake Tahoe man from north shore dies from hantavirus
Submitted by paula on Thu, 05/31/2018 - 8:46pm
Placer County health officials have confirmed that a man who died on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe tested positive for hantavirus.
They said the resident likely contracted the virus from rodents in a private residence in the Lake Tahoe region where the resident lived and worked. Health officials do not believe the public is at ongoing risk from the source of infection associated with the fatality.
Have mice in your Lake Tahoe home? You're not alone!
Submitted by paula on Tue, 08/01/2017 - 9:34pm
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - The big winter of 2016/17 may be over, but its effects continue to linger, and this time it comes with a pointed snout, small rounded ears, a body-length scaly tail and a high breeding rate.
And because of this four legged rodent, fondly known as the mouse, traps and poison are flying off the shelves of stores in South Lake Tahoe, and phones in local exterminators' offices are ringing off the hook.
Fallen Leaf Campground to close next week for pesticide treatments
Submitted by paula on Wed, 06/22/2016 - 9:13pm
Fallen Leaf Campground will be closed starting Monday, June 27 so county and state public health and vector control officials can start pesticide treatments to minimize the risk of plague.
The treatments are a public safety precaution after tests on 15 rodents resulted in one positive case of plague on June 20, 2016. There is minimal risk to the public at this time.
The campground will close at 7:00 p.m. Monday but all campers will need to check out by noon. The U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit expects it to reopen by Friday, July 1 in time for the holiday weekend.
Flea from chipmunk at Fallen Leaf Lake tests positive for plague
Submitted by paula on Tue, 06/07/2016 - 7:28pm
A flea from a Yellow pine chipmunk in the Tahoe area has tested positive for plague according to El Dorado County health officials. The flea was sampled from one of three rodents trapped in the Fallen Leaf Campground area during routine plague surveillance May 18, 2016.
USFS to close some sites in South Lake Tahoe to address plague issue
Submitted by paula on Tue, 09/15/2015 - 2:02pm
Tallac Historic Site, Kiva Beach, Valhalla and the Taylor Creek Visitor Center will all be closed on Wednesday so the U.S. Forest Service can conduct pesticide treatments to reduce the risk of plague. The Pope-Baldwin Bike Trail will remain open, but signs will be posted where the trail crosses closed sites.
The gates to these areas will close on Tuesday evening, September 15 at 7 p.m. and likely reopen on Thursday morning, September 17.
Squirrel tests positive for plague in South Lake Tahoe area
Submitted by paula on Fri, 09/04/2015 - 4:20pm
A California ground squirrel found dead at Kiva Beach picnic area on August 17 has tested positive for plague.
El Dorado County health officials were notified by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) that the squirrel tested positive for plague on September 2.
The squirrel had been sent for testing to the state laboratory.
Warning signs have been posted in the affected area and individuals are advised to report any dead or sick rodents. Health officials are not aware of human contact with the squirrel.
El Dorado County reminder: Squirrels and chipmunks can carry plague
Submitted by paula on Sat, 08/22/2015 - 8:06pm
Health officials in El Dorado County are reminding residents and visitors that chipmunks, squirrels and other wild rodents can carry plague, and that a few simple precautions can prevent the spread of the disease.
"While human cases of plague are fairly rare, there are many areas in California, including higher elevation areas of El Dorado County, where wild rodents have been found in the past to carry plague," said Karen Bender, Supervisor with the El Dorado County Environmental Management Division.
Yosemite campground shuts down after squirrels die of plague
Submitted by paula on Fri, 08/14/2015 - 6:41pmOfficials at Yosemite National Park said Friday they will temporarily close a popular campsite after two squirrels died of plague in the area.
Tuolumne Meadows Campground will close from noon Monday through noon Friday so authorities can treat the area with a flea-killing insecticide. Campers had their reservations canceled at the 304-site campground so the insecticide can be sprayed into rodent "burrow holes," the California Department of Health said Friday.
Plague is carried by rodents and is spread by fleas, but transmission between people is rare.
Two more chipmunks test positive for plague in South Lake Tahoe area
Submitted by Editor on Fri, 10/26/2012 - 4:22pm
The El Dorado County Department of Environmental Health was notified this week by the California Department of Public Health that two additional chipmunks in the South Lake Tahoe area have tested positive for plague. One of the chipmunks was found in the Tallac Historic Site area and one was near the U.S. Forest Service Taylor Creek Visitor Center.
Chipmunk tests positive for plague
Submitted by Anonymous on Fri, 10/12/2012 - 6:00amLocal, state and federal officials are urging caution after a chipmunk near Taylor Creek Visitor Center was found with plague last week.The rodent was rolled up in a ball, shaking and struggling...
Chipmunk tests positive for plague, Forest Service issues warning for South Shore Lake Tahoe
Submitted by Editor on Wed, 10/10/2012 - 12:58pm
Visitors to recreation sites around South Lake Tahoe should to take precautions against the bubonic plague after a chipmunk found at Taylor Creek Visitor Center tested positive for the disease, the U.S. Forest Service Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit reports.
The California Department of Public Health has recommended the Forest Service and its concessionaire post warning signage in the area of Taylor Creek Visitor Center, the Tallac Historic Site, and Camp Richardson Resort explaining how the disease is transmitted, the symptoms and how to prevent infection. The Forest Service is advising its staff and visitors to report any sick or dead animals immediately.
