Mosquito Control and the West Nile Virus

September 22, 2008 05:15 AM
 

Most all of us have heard the news media reports of the presence of the West Nile Virus in our area of the country. Here at the Public Works Department, we have had many inquiries as to what we are doing about this outbreak. We would like to make you aware of the steps we have taken thus far, and the steps we are prepared to take should conditions escalate. 
The Town continues to operate our Ultra-low Volume (ULV) Adult Mosquito spray program on almost a nightly basis. Our truck goes out at dusk and operates until about 11:00 PM. The ULV machine is very loud, thus we try to get it off the street at a reasonable hour. The rainfall patterns experienced this summer have been ideal for breeding mosquitoes, thus it has been extremely difficult to keep the population to non-nuisance levels. 

The PWD is prepared to treat storm catch basins and low lying areas that do not drain well, should conditions show the need to do so. Several rainfall events have prevented us from treating ditch lines, as the run-off will wash away both the mosquito larvae and the insecticide used for control. The Town is not allowed by federal regulation, to treat any areas of Town that are designated Wetlands. 

What can you do:
Walk your property, look for and eliminate any mosquito breeding sites you find. Mosquitoes will breed almost any place water stands stagnant for 5-10 days such as: 

  • Bird baths (change the water every other day) 
  • House gutters that do not drain completely after a rainfall event 
  • Old tire piles 
  • Old cans, bottles, jars, laying around your yard 
  • Unused grills with no drain holes 
  • Unopened swimming pools (the Town can provide larvicidal pellets) 
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