Aurora has begun its yearly mosquito control program, with the goal of curbing the spread of the West Nile virus, according to a news release from the city on Friday.
The city’s Street Maintenance Division is using both in-house and contracted services for mosquito control, the release said. That includes treating around 12,000 catch basins around the city, which are equipped with organic products that mosquito larvae feed upon and which prevents them from growing into adult mosquitoes.
The city is also using five mosquito light traps which are emptied three times per week by the city’s contracted mosquito management company, Clarke Environmental, the release said. Female mosquitoes, which cause the majority of bites, found in the traps are then counted. If the number in a given trap exceeds 30, the Street Maintenance Division will spray an insecticide in that area only.
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The spraying is done through a truck-mounted fogging unit that sprays aerosol droplets that kill the mosquitoes on contact, the release noted. The typical amount sprayed is about three to five ounces per acre to minimize risks to people and the environment, the city noted, and the insecticides used must be registered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Illinois Department of Agriculture.
These fogging operations take place at dusk, when mosquitoes are most active and looking for food, officials said.
West Nile virus is largely spread to humans through mosquito bites. Illinois saw its first human case of West Nile virus a few days ago, according to past reporting. The Illinois Department of Public Health said a southern Illinois resident tested positive after being hospitalized. Officials said it was the earliest in the year a human case had been observed in the state since 2016.
Last year, the state reported 69 human cases of West Nile virus and 13 deaths related to the virus, per Illinois Department of Public Health data.
There have been 85 mosquito batches that tested positive for the virus in Illinois this year, according to the department’s latest figures. Along with the recent human case, the state has reported positive cases in birds, mosquitoes or horses across 20 counties. DuPage County, for example, has seen 15 positive tests for the virus this year, but no human cases, based on the county’s most recent available data.
The city’s news release described its mosquito control efforts as “proactive,” given the positive tests in DuPage County and throughout the state.
Residents can receive additional information or sign up for notifications about when specific neighborhoods will be sprayed by contacting Clarke Environmental at 800-942-2555.