Dallas County recently decided to offer aerial mosquito spraying
services for Dallas area communities. The decision was made in
response to the threat of record numbers of West Nile virus
(WNV) cases in the north Texas area. As with any important
decision, there are differing opinions on what should be done to
battle this latest mosquito crisis. Because of concerns about
aerial applications of insecticides over urban areas, I thought
it might be useful to address some of the common questions from
a science, applied entomology and public health perspective. Q.
Aren’t there other actions we can take that can stop West Nile
virus other than pesticides? Yes! Pesticides are just one tool
among several that have been developed over the past century to
manage mosquitoes. Most cities in the north Texas area,
including Dallas and Dallas County rely on multiple tactics to
manage mosquitoes throughout the year. Mosquito management
starts early every year with source reduction and surveillance.
Source reduction means loo