ADA COUNTY, Idaho — Spring brings blooming flowers, warmer weather and lots of mosquitoes to Ada County — but an Ada County crew is working in your neighborhood to keep those pesky biting bugs at bay.
"We have 56,000 standing water sites mapped throughout the county," said Sam Brockway, with Ada County Weed, Pest and Mosquito Abatement.
Those 56,000 standing water sites quickly become home to a warm-weather pest.
"All mosquitoes require standing water to breed," said Brockway.
Fighting mosquitoes — that's what Brockway and his team are gearing up for this spring.
"The bulk of our programming goes towards treating standing water sites with a naturally occurring bacteria that kills mosquito larvae before they can become flying, biting adults that can transmit disease," said Brockway.
Diseases like West Nile virus are the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the United States, according to the CDC.
"So West Nile virus is something that we're capable of having be a large problem in the state of Idaho," he said.
Back in 2006, there were nearly 1,000 cases of West Nile virus in Idaho, resulting in 23 deaths, according to the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
"Once we start finding West Nile virus in the Valley, we will start deploying our adulticide trucks that will treat anywhere within a mile of a West Nile virus discovery," Brockway explained.
Those trucks go to work at night, when pollinators are dormant, and spray a fog that kills flying mosquitoes. Once the compound hits the ground, it is inert and will not impact any other species.
"You can call in to either request that we don't spray in your neighborhood or to ask that we let you know so you can close your windows or any precautions that you might want to take," said Brockway.
You may not think there is standing water near your house, but even something like an over watered yard can make a perfect place for mosquitoes to breed.
"We want people to understand that we are a public health agency, and that all of our actions are to help protect Ada County. Ada County and the environment's health are our first concern," added Brockway.
