Mosquito Spraying In Yolo County Today: Where Do You Stand on the Issue?

There will be aerial spraying over Yolo County August 14 and 15 in effort to control mosquitos infected with West Nile Virus. The spraying will focus on agricultural areas and “small rural communities.”

The spraying will take place from about 8 p.m. to midnight over 28,000 acres of throughout the county, including areas south of Woodland and north of Davis.

So far in 2012 in Yolo County, 35 dead birds have been found and two sentinel chickens. 48 mosquito samples have tested positive for West Nile, according to Fight the Bite.  

What do you think about the aerial spraying for mosquitos? Do you feel it’s necessary because of the dangers of West Nile Virus, or are you uncomfortable with chemical spraying of any kind? Let’s start a dialog below this story.

You can get email notifications about the spraying here. 

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Here's some more about the spray that's used, from the Fight the Bite website: 

What type of insecticides are being used by the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District?

A. For larval mosquito control, the District typically utilizes Bacillus thuringensis (Bti) and B. sphaericus, bacterial products, or methoprene, an insect growth regulator which keeps the immature mosquito from becoming a flying adult.

B. For adult mosquito control two classes of insecticides, each combined with a synergist chemical, are commonly used for adult mosquito control:

Pyrethrins are the active ingredients in pyrethrum, an extract of the African flower Chrysanthemum cineriaefolium. Pyrethrins are natural insecticides that act by blocking chemical signals at nerve junctions.

Pyrethroids are the synthetic version of pyrethrins and act by blocking chemical signals at nerve junctions.

Piperonyl butoxide (PBO) is a synergist that is usually incorporated with pyrethrins. PBO enhances the effect of these insecticides by inhibiting cytochrome P450, a class of enzymes that break down the insecticides. This allows the insecticides to be effective with less active ingredient than would otherwise be required.

Organophosphate is a synthetic, organic pesticide that contains carbon, hydrodgen, and phosphorus which acts by inhibiting the blood enzyme cholinesterase.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency approves the use of insecticides nationally and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) approves their use in California. Before pesticides are registered by US EPA or CDPR, they must undergo laboratory testing for acute and chronic health effects.