Hazelwood Fogging Mosquitos to Minimize West Nile Virus Risk
With indications that the recent West Nile virus outbreak is the
largest seen in the U.S., Hazelwood officials want residents to
know that the city has taken proactive measures to control the
mosquito population and the likelihood of a West Nile virus
epidemic breaking out in the community is minimal. “We’ve been
fogging for mosquitoes twice a week covering the whole city
since the month of May,” said Paul Williams, Hazelwood Street
Maintenance Department supervisor. “The extreme heat and drought
conditions we had this summer cut down on the number of
mosquitoes in our area because there was very little standing
water where their larvae could hatch. But the milder
temperatures may cause the mosquito population to grow which is
why we’re prepared to continue our mosquito fogging efforts
until October.” In addition to fogging, the City of Hazelwood
has been using “dunks” which are products that kill mosquito
larvae. Most mosquitoes lay their eggs in s