Flyovers to target pools

This week, a helicopter buzzing overhead will look for the source of a more insidious pest that may soon be in the air.

Helicopter flyovers will start in a search for green swimming pools and ponds that may be breeding grounds for mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus.

If complaints about foreclosed homes with untended swimming pools are any indication, the aerial reconnaissance may find some pools gone wild.

People started calling Ron McBride in January to complain about untended pools on foreclosed properties. The calls have picked up since then.

"We've had calls every week, but we've been getting four to five calls a day in the last week," said McBride, general manager of the Sutter-Yuba Mosquito Vector Control District

The district will start five days of flyovers as soon as Wednesday.

If an untended pool is found, the district will treat it with chemicals to kill any larvae, and add mosquito-eating fish. The district finishes the job by posting a sign so neighbors won't add chlorine and kill the fish.

There are more than aesthetics at stake with the green swimming pools. They can serve as breeding grounds for mosquitoes that carry West Nile Virus.

McBride said a crow found in south Yuba City last week tested positive for the virus, indicating that it is present in this area. The virus, transmitted by a mosquito bite, can cause serious illness and even death.

But it's hard to say if this will be a bad or good year for the mosquitos that carry the virus, infecting their victims with a bite. Dry spring weather certainly hindered mosquito reproduction. But much of their breeding occurs in rice paddies, said McBride.

Temperatures could hit the 100-degree mark this weekend, speeding up the production of this year's crop of mosquitos. Mosquito activity typically peaks in the Yuba-Sutter area in June.

The district will continue with spraying by air and by ground.

Aerial spraying of crop areas is expected to begin the week of May 26.

Spraying in towns by pickup trucks is also planned for this summer.

West Nile Tips

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest the following to protect yourself against the West Nile virus:

• When outdoors and mosquitoes are present, apply insect repellent containing DEET, Picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus, according to label instructions.

• Ensure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or holes.

• Eliminate all sources of standing water that can support mosquito breeding around your home and property.

• Limit your outdoor activity at dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.

• Wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants and shoes when outdoors.

Contact Appeal reporter John Dickey at 749-4711 or jdickey@appeal-democrat.com