Bloodsuckers, beware. City-wide mosquito spraying began Wednesday evening in Williamsburg.
That means the city’s Mosquito Control Program truck will drive around and spray in all of Williamsburg’s neighborhoods, starting at dusk every Wednesday between now and some time in September, or whenever mosquito activity tapers off.
Thursday and Friday are alternate spraying days in case it rains on Wednesday.
“We’re anticipating an average season this year,” said Lee Ann Hartmann, a spokesperson for the city. “We didn’t have an unusually cold winter. We didn’t have an unusually warm winter.”
The program includes on-site yard inspections, eliminating breeding sites like standing water, and using a low-toxicity pesticide to reduce larvae, according to the Mosquito Control Program website.
If residents have specific requests or concerns, they can contact the program at 757-220-6140 to set up an appointment.
In the meantime, residents can take their own precautions to prevent mosquitoes. These include changing the water in birdbaths, ornamental fountains or ponds at least once or twice a week; emptying buckets or baby pools when they are not in use, and covering up garbage cans and other large containers.
A full list of tips is available at the Mosquito Control Program website.
The Mosquito Control Program also encourages people to be aware of the Zika virus, which is transmitted through the Asian tiger mosquito, the most common type of mosquito in Virginia.
However, last year, all of the 113 cases of the Zika virus in Virginia were related to travel to Zika-affected countries.
