Mosquito Spray Planned In Warminster Thursday

A mosquito control operation will be done in parts of Warminster and Falls township this Thursday in order to reduce high populations of mosquitoes capable of transmitting West Nile Virus, county officials announced.

According to the county, the treatments will be administered via truck-mounted equipment, spraying residential and recreational mosquito habitat. The equipment dispenses Duet Dual-Action Adulticide at a rate of 0.75 ounces per acre. The product is designed to provide quick, effective control of adult mosquito populations.

"The application material has a very low toxicity profile to mammals and will have negligible impact to non-target insects and the environment," the county's announcement said.

Certain mosquito species carry the West Nile virus, which can cause humans to contract West Nile encephalitis, an infection that can result in an inflammation of the brain, according to the local health department. The Pennsylvania Department of Health says all residents in areas where virus activity has been identified are at risk of contracting West Nile encephalitis.

In 2016, West Nile virus has been detected in the following counties: Adams, Allegheny, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Cambria, Centre, Chester, Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Erie, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Indiana, Juniata, Lancaster, Lawrence, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mifflin, Montgomery, Northampton, Northumberland, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Union, Warren, Washington, Westmoreland, and York.

Patch file photo