Mosquito Alert STL

• Download the Mosquito Alert app to your smartphone.
• Upload photos of mosquitoes to help track the kinds of mosquitoes in your neighborhood. 
  • Tip: snap the picture, SWAT the bug, upload the photo!
• Report mosquito bites to help track where and when mosquitoes are active.
• Use the app to learn how to recognize mosquito breeding sites and report their presence. You’ll help local health experts control mosquito populations!

This project encourages community residents to:

• Use the Mosquito Alert app to monitor and report mosquitoes in our neighborhoods.
• Engage as Community Scientists to support local health departments in mosquito tracking and control.
• Protect yourself and your family from mosquito-borne diseases.
• Use ecological pest controls to manage mosquitoes without harming beneficial pollinators.

Mosquito Alert STL calls on the power of our community to identify and help control pests. Smartphone technology connects neighborhood residents with professionals working to prevent mosquito-borne illness. St. Louis is the first U.S. city to use Mosquito Alert, a system developed in Barcelona, Spain, that is being used successfully across Europe. 

Mosquito Alert STL promotes this app-based project through social media communication and education, through social networks and community outreach events, and through a website hosted by Missouri Botanical Garden. These efforts seek to empower residents to protect their neighborhoods from pests while preventing harm to the insect pollinators our communities need. 

The mission of citizen science, also known as community science, is to encourage people of all ages to join in scientific research. Citizen scientists of all ages use everyday technology to collect and help analyze data to support local public health agencies. This crowdsourced science movement recognizes that the people who know a community and its health needs best are the people living and working in the community. Through public participation in science, we can add our eyes, ears and knowledge to serve our communities and the people who make them great.

Mosquito Alert STL’s project team is also studying how this kind of communication and education work can best achieve goals to protect public health. Using a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, and working with the Mosquito Alert developers in Barcelona, we will track downloads and use of the MA app. We will interview residents about their use of the app, their role as citizen scientists, and perceptions about environmental awareness and ecologically-sound mosquito control. 

Our research will explore how communities can work with public health agencies to further scientific investigation in their communities. Our goal is to find out what drives citizens to participate in science, and identify ways that the public can participate in research to control mosquitoes effectively and ecologically.

Mosquito Alert STL is a collaborative effort from the Missouri Botanical Garden, Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice, the St. Louis Academic Health Department, St. Louis County Department of Public Health, and the City of St. Louis Department of Health.

• Will Mosquito Alert use my location or other personal information? 
  • NO! User locations are translated by Mosquito Alert into numerical codes. You remain anonymous. But Mosquito Alert does use GPS tracking to pinpoint mosquito sighting locations, and to direct responses.
• What happens with Mosquito Alert postings?
  • A local team of entomologists (insect specialists) reviews the photos and reports. Confirmed information from these reviews is sent to City and County Public Health agencies, who work on controlling mosquitos.
• Where are mosquitos likely to be a problem?
  • Mosquitoes seek out standing water to breed. Places where tires and other trash are dumped are likely to be adding mosquitos to your neighborhood. Your reports with Mosquito Alert can help Public Health staff control mosquitoes in your neighborhood from photos of mosquito breeding in areas like this. Your reports may also help City staff deal with illegal dumping.
• Where should I be looking for mosquitoes?
  • Mosquito Alert reports are especially helpful from public places like parks, because Public Health staff can apply mosquito-breeding controls on public property. If you are aware of mosquito breeding at sites like abandoned buildings in the City of St. Louis, contact the Citizen Service Bureau (314-622-4800) with your report. Be safe: don’t go onto the property with Mosquito Alert. In St. Louis County, contact Vector Control at 314-615-0680.
• Do all mosquitoes make people sick?
  • No! Only a few kinds of mosquitoes transmit diseases to people, but all kinds of mosquitoes do bite! Mosquito Alert is geared to identify the specific kinds of mosquitoes that carry disease, so our Public Health agencies can target controls to protect us.
• How can I protect myself and my family from mosquitoes?
  • Use a good mosquito repellent! Try a couple of kinds, with different active ingredients, to see what ingredient works for you. 
  • Use an electric fan when you are sitting outdoors; the fan breeze will keep mosquitoes away from you—and keep you cooler!
  • Go fragrance-free during mosquito season. Strong scents are one of the things that attract mosquitoes to bite you. 
  • Wear loose, light colored clothing outdoors, if you can.
  • Keep window screens in good repair.

Mosquito Alert STL Partnership Kit

Mosquito Alert STL on Facebook

Short Videos:

• Mosquito Alert App How-To
• Help Our Public Health Pros!
• Protect Yourself and Our Community
• Protect Our Pollinators