American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA)

• AMCA is made up of mosquito and vector control professionals from across the U.S. It is a membership organization that can provide many benefits to a mosquito control professional. AMCA members can connect with other mosquito and vector control professionals and access resources and educational materials on standard practices. Some resources and trainings are provided for free by AMCA, and a variety of membership types are available. 

AMCA Technical Advisor

• The role of AMCA’s Technical Advisor is to answer questions about mosquito and vector control programmatic structures, methodologies, and answer questions from media and public inquiries. The AMCA Technical Advisor can be reached at amca.ta@mosquito.org.

State entomologists

• Find out if your state has a state public health entomologist (usually embedded in the state health department), and/or state/regional entomologists (usually embedded in the state’s agricultural department and/or the state’s land grant university and associated extension outreach program. Also check the state’s department of environmental protection and/or agricultural department. They can recommend resources and be able to suggest improvements.

State organizations

• Many states have a state association that is similar to the AMCA, but specific to your state (here is a list of many of them). Being a member of these organizations helps make connections at a local level. These state organizations may also know state laws that apply to your specific area. Look up your state’s name and “mosquito control association” to find information online (even if the association is called the ‘mosquito control association,’ most of them include other vectors as well).

Vendors/industry

• The people who are selling you the products you use are also very knowledgeable. If you have a specific issue, you can share your jurisdiction’s specific needs or challenges and ask them to recommend which products to use and why. Some of the many vendors are listed as “Industry” members on the AMCA’s sustaining member webpage.

Colleges/Universities

• Professors who specialize in medical entomology can help you identify what your program needs and may have vector and disease insights specific to your jurisdiction

Agriculture (“Ag”) extension offices

• These offices offer a coordinated extension of university experts, even if no local university is available in the area. These programs support education, research, and training primarily focused on agriculture, and can offer resources that may be relevant to vector control efforts in your area.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

• The CDC vector-borne disease webpages have resources for professionals, such as communications resources and resources for clinicians. In addition, the CDC has dedicated teams for studying and responding to vector-borne diseases - the Division of Vector Borne Diseases which includes the Arboviral Diseases Branch as well as the Bacterial Diseases Branch, Dengue Branch, and Rickettsial Zoonoses Branch.

Centers of Excellence (COEs) in Vector-borne Diseases

• Regional Centers of Excellence coordinate and share research related to vector-borne disease prevention. Consider becoming involved in the one closest to you (as of 2022 – 2027):
  1. University of Massachusetts-Amherst
  2. University of Florida
  3. University of California-Davis
  4. University of Wisconsin-Madison

Regional Training and Evaluation Centers (TECs)

• Similar to the COEs, the Training and Evaluation Centers were established to support and enhance vector control capacity. They focus on training, evaluation, and partnerships. Consider becoming involved in the one closest to you (as of 2023 – 2028):
  1. Cornell University
  2. Pennsylvania State University
  3. Colorado State University
  4. City of New Orleans Termite and Rodent Control Board
  5. Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust

Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) funding

• ELC funding is available to state, large local, and U.S. territory and affiliate health departments, and can be used to increase laboratory and epidemiologic capacity. This can improve vector-borne disease surveillance and help programs detect and prevent potential outbreaks.

Public Health Organizations

• National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
• National Environmental Health Association (NEHA)
• Association of State and Territorial Health Organizations (ASTHO)
• Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE)