Mosquitos, West Nile, are Highest Numbers in Decades for Davis County

CENTERVILLE – An abatement crew of two men, sprayed the marshy wetlands on the west end of Davis County, Wednesday. It’s something they’ve been doing a lot of, thanks to the unusually high number of mosquitoes out there.

“We had an exceptionally wet spring, and cool spring, which produced a lot of mosquito habitat, put a lot of water out there for the mosquitoes to hatch in,” Davis County Mosquito Abatement Director, Gary Hatch said. “Then the heat came on for the summer, and it has been a perfect season, for mosquitoes.”

On top of that, Hatch says so far, 61 mosquitoes, found in testing pools around the county, have tested positive for West Nile Virus. Helping combat that effort however, is a tool that the district started using just one year ago. Mosquito samples are now tested in-house, rather than being sent off to a state lab.

“By doing it in house, we can get results on the same day that we trap and collect mosquitoes, and react to those tests quickly and effectively,” Hatch said. “It’s been a big advantage to us.”

 

Hatch says he can now send crews to spray the problem areas the very same day. While results from the state lab were just as reliable, he says he often wouldn’t get those results until the end of the week.

Marshy areas on the west end of the county aren’t the only issue, however. Hatch points out that standing water, found in front of homes can also breed the type of mosquito that carries the West Nile Virus. He says that homeowners should watch for those areas, and wear long sleeves, pants, and repellent, containing deet, if you must be outside at night.