Following West Nile Bird Cases, Mosquito Abatement

Santa Cruz County Mosquito and Vector Control will again try to eradicate mosquitoes from Pajaro Valley ponds and sloughs.

The agency has arranged with R&B Helicopters of Salinas to conduct a routine aerial treatment of the aquatic larval stages of mosquitoes breeding in significant numbers in areas of the Pajaro Valley inland marshes, sloughs and ponds. This should occur Tuesday morning but may be re-scheduled if there is wind or fog.

As the flight path and targets will be over undeveloped areas and the application is of a granular, microbial mosquito larvicide, no special precautions need be taken.

The treatment comes after earlier this summer.

Since 2004 dead birds infected with West Nile virus have been found every year in Santa Cruz County. In 2011, California reported 158 human West Nile virus infections, all the result of bites from infected mosquitoes, nine of these people died.