Where Will Crews Spray for West Nile on Wednesday?

Seven mosquitoes in Whitemarsh have tested positive for West Nile Virus this summer. In response, crews from the Montgomery County Health Department and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will be spraying portions of the township on Wednesday, Sept. 4.

The most recent mosquito tested positive Aug. 15, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. And, Montgomery County also has the dubious distinction of being one of two counties in the state to have a human case of West Nile Virus, as a man was reported to have the virus on Aug. 20. His illness onset on Aug. 5. The other two cases are in York County.

The area being sprayed in Whitemarsh is bordered by Butler Pike, Flourtown Road, Germantown Pike and North Lane. Crews will spray between 7:45 and 11 p.m.; the alternate date is Sept. 11, should weather be lousy.

The areas affected are within the yellow section of the attached map.

Generally speaking, the chemical being sprayed is not harmful to people, but it is suggested that residents go inside (along with pets) and turn off their air conditioning systems while the trucks pass — and for about 30 minutes after the trucks pass.

Pennsylvania DEP spokeswoman Amanda Witman said in an earlier interview that the insecticide being used — Biomist 3+15 — is safe and poses “very little danger” to humans or pets because the concentration being used is so low. The spraying will be at a rate of 0.75 ounces per acre.

“In all honesty, we don’t have a recommendation that people come inside [during the spraying] because the spraying is safe,” Witman said. “It’s going to be done primarily after dark, and we anticipate that most people will already be inside.”

Witman said the Pennsylvania DEP has never had a case of a human or a pet being affected by the spraying of Biomist; she added that the pesticide degrades quickly in the environment the following day.

Though the chemical targets mosquitoes, Witman said she couldn’t talk on whether other insects would be killed by the chemical.

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First published Aug. 29, 2013 at 4:56 a.m.