For the first time this summer, Fayette County residential areas are slated to see spraying for mosquitoes. Natural weather conditions have helped to keep down mosquito populations.
Back in June, a health department team sprayed in Jacobson Park, as requested for an event there. Scheduled spraying this week in 40502 and 40509 zip codes comes following mosquito trap numbers reaching the threshold mark. Environmental Health Team Leader Luke Mathias says consistent rains have lessened the need for spraying. “Areas that in past years may have pooled up, collected water, and the water becomes stagnant, those areas have been flushed out repeatedly,” said Mathias.
Mathias says all the spraying and mosquito larva targeted eradication doesn’t compare with what individual homeowners can do by dumping out pooled water. “Mosquitoes can breed and lay eggs readily in very small bodies of water. I’ve seen pictures of even bottle caps and you can see the little mosquito larva in a bottle cap that’s been left outside and it has just a few drops of water,” noted Mathias.
Mathias says the worst case scenario regarding mosquitoes is when there’s heavy rainfall and then no rain for a week or two. He says health concerns related to the Zika virus have lessened with only travel connected cases in Kentucky thus far.
