Spraying occurs nearly every year for ‘comfort factor’ and will
target salt marsh mosquito
Morgan Hill – The Santa Clara County Vector Control District will be using helicopters to spray mosquitoes Thursday, but not out of fear of the West Nile virus.
“We’re spraying more for the comfort factor,” said Victor Romano, a field operation supervisor. “To not have mosquitoes biting people in the surrounding area.”
The spraying, which Romano said happens nearly every year, will take place in Alviso and target the California salt marsh mosquito.
Pest experts say the salt marsh mosquito is not known to carry West Nile, but their eggs can lay dormant for years and produce adults that travel with a range of 20 miles. They’re considered to be vicious biters.
About 500 acres will be treated with BTi, a bacterium harmful to mosquito and blackfly larvae, and methoprene, which prevents mosquitoes from reproducing.
Last summer, the county sprayed sections of south San Jose during the region’s worst West Nile outbreak. Last year, five county residents contracted the disease, along with one horse and at least 144 birds. Three mosquito pools were found to harbor the virus, which causes flu-like system and can be fatal.
Statewide, 928 people contracted the disease last year, with 18 fatalities. This year, the first positive bird was located in Saratoga. So far, it’s the only positive bird discovered in 2006.
“It’s hard to make predictions,” Romano said of the outlook for the disease in 2006. “It would not be unreasonable to expect increased activity in our county.”
