Aerial spraying mosquitoes dallas

The label says it's toxic to fish and other types of aquatic life, and it contains distilled petroleum. When the mosquito population gets to be a certain level, "they automatically go up," she said. Kelly Nash, who lives in Dallas and works for an environmental consulting firm, questions whether the county is advocating for a controlled oil spill. I'm concerned that we're breeding resistant mosquitoes that next time will have Dengue fever or something worse.

Harris County, which includes humid, mosquito-filled Houston, has used aerial spraying once a year since , the year the virus was first detected in Texas. The county uses ground spraying first and moves to aerial spraying as the virus spreads. Rudy Bueno said. Most people infected with West Nile virus won't get sick, but about one in people will develop the severe form of the illness.

Symptoms include headache, high fever, neck stiffness, disorientation, coma, tremors, convulsions, muscle weakness and paralysis. Jordan Conner, 14, spent eight days in intensive care with the most severe form of West Nile virus.

Her mother, Ebonie Conner of Arlington, said she doesn't approve of aerial spraying and wishes local leaders would do more to educate the community. I think they need to pass out insect repellent, mention it in back-to-school drives. Please enter email address to continue. Taneja said they've found that mosquitoes are resting late at night which brings up an issue in the effectiveness of the chemical.

The other problem is the lack of reach the chemical has. The county is considering aerial spraying as a way to combat mosquitoes from the air to reach these places.

Taneja said a different chemical is used and helps kill mosquitoes in vegetation. He said they are thinking about the environment and concerned how the chemical could impact bees.

So all of those efforts are part of our due diligence package that I was talking about , make sure we tell all of our partners that if this is going to happen, how do we make it work safely for everybody," Taneja said.

The county is in the process of reaching out to city managers in the county as well as looking into how much it would cost. During Tuesday's meeting, he told the court they've had conversations with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Texas Department of State Health Services about the option.

A spokesperson for Tarrant County Public Health Department said it's unknown when and if the county has used this method before. If they have, the county said it was at least a decade ago. Although commonplace in other major cities, the aerial-spraying efforts are provoking a debate between health officials trying to quell disease risk and people concerned about insecticidal mist drifting down from above. Roger Nasci, of the CDC, explaining the public's worries. Critics have also questioned whether the approach is scientifically proven to reduce West Nile cases.

But at least one study in California concluded that the odds of infection are about six times lower in treated areas than those that are untreated. Opponents say they are concerned about the effects the insecticide could have on people, pets and useful insects such as honeybees and ladybugs. The chemical released from the planes, synthetic pyrethroid, mimics a naturally occurring substance found in chrysanthemums.

T he Environmental Protection Agency has said that pyrethroids do not pose a significant risk to wildlife or the environment , though no pesticide is percent safe.

The insecticide's common name is Duet Dual-Action Adulticide. The label says it's toxic to fish and other types of aquatic life, and it contains distilled petroleum. Residents are advised to take the following precautions: Avoid being outside, close windows and bring pets inside during spraying. If exposed, wash skin and clothing with soap and water.

Residents should also rinse homegrown fruits and vegetables with water and cover ornamental fish ponds. The Dallas Arboretum covered its fish ponds and water foundations to protect the koi that swim in some of the water features.

The arboretum used recycled aerial billboards found on Craigslist to cover the ponds. NBC 5 checked with a couple of restaurants in Highland Park with patio seating and outdoor bars about what they would do during the aerial spraying. However, at nearby Bistro 31, the general manager, Jonathan DellaTorre tells us Thursday is too busy of a night and their outdoor, upstairs bar is too popular to shut it down so they will not make any changes with the spraying going on.

When the plan was for the spraying to begin at , Carlos Jones shortened and moved up practice so it would end at p.