Ada County Mosquito Abatement teams are addressing the growing threat of West Nile Virus this week. Cases of the virus have already been discovered in Canyon and Payette Counties.
Despite efforts to control the pests, officials say mosquito populations are quadrupling in some areas around the Boise River each week.
"The amount of mosquitoes and how early they came on is just huge," Brian Wilbur, director of Ada County Weed, Pest and Mosquito Abatement, said.
County crews usually spray for adult mosquitoes, but with the unprecedented number of Culex mosquitoes in the county, they're also starting to spray larvicide.
"It's going to be an expensive application," Wilbur said. "Particularly, the larvicide applications are pretty spendy."
The Culex mosquitoes are more than just a biting nuisance, they're also carriers of West Nile Virus.
"Then years ago, in 2006, we saw a large number of people who were affected by West Nile Virus, and we don't want to see that again," Kimberly Link with the Central District Health Department said. "It can be a very, very devastating disease to people."
Crews will be spraying in the late evening hours and application could begin as early as Tuesday, June 27.
For those living in areas where spraying will occur, the pesticides are considered safe for humans, animals and bees. Experts advise you rinse garden vegetables and fruits before eating them.
"It should be a very routine application live we've had in the past, but we do need to let everyone know about it," Wilbur said.
