Central Kentucky could be ripe for a sizeable number of mosquitoes in the coming weeks. Fayette County Environmental Health and Preparedness Leader Luke Mathias said already the calls about the biting bugs have been up compared to the last couple of summers.
“We’ve had a pretty decent amount of rainfall and it’s been spread out to the point that, you know, we’ll get a heavy rain and then won’t get another rain for a week or so…unfortunately that allows the water to stagnate,” said Mathias.
And in that stagnant water, mosquitoes can be born. Surveying of water-gathering spots around the county has begun, but no targeted spraying yet. As for the next month or so, Mathias said it could go either way when it comes to the number of mosquitoes creating a buzzing stir around homes and parks.
Mosquitoes can transmit diseases like encephalitis or West Nile. Mathias said his department gets word about these kinds of medical cases.
“We would probably through our epidemiologists locally and through the State. Those would be reportable diseases that would trickle down to us or we would be informed of,” said Mathias.
Mathias doesn’t recall any of those human cases last summer. He said there were some West Nile cases in animals a couple summers ago. The Lexington Health Department implements targeting spraying in neighborhoods. For those homeowners choosing to hire a firm to spray around the house, Mathis suggests asking what pesticide is used and to view the material safety data sheet.
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