There are several species of mosquito flying through north Texas, but public health officials are interested in the mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus (WNV).
Recent rain in June provided the potential to have more breeding grounds for mosquitoes in areas that may be difficult to reach or see such as tree holes or gutters.
Mosquitoes with WNV are usually active between dusk and dawn. The City of Richardson practices integrated mosquito control with the intent to disrupt the mosquito life cycle in its early stages to eliminate the number of adults and mosquito breeding habitats through proper water drainage.
“There are also active mosquitoes during the day that are much more aggressive, but they don’t transmit any disease. Mosquitoes have a flat range between 300 feet, up to a half a mile for different species of mosquito. So, just because you may not have any standing water in your yard does not mean there is a source near by within the neighborhood where they are breeding,” said Bill Alsup, director of Health.
Residents can protect themselves by following the Four D’s of protection: DRAIN standing water around the home, Use insect repellent containing DEET, avoid being outdoors at DUSK and DAWN and DRESS to protect yourself with long sleeves and pants.
Visit www.cor.net/mosquito for more information.
