We were not able to spray for mosquitoes Thursday, Oct. 26 in the Fourth Avenue and Tower Drive areas of north Knoxville due to low temperatures. Weather conditions such as rain, high winds and temperatures near or below 55 degrees can compromise the effectiveness of the spray. Given the forecasted weather conditions over the next several days, we will not be rescheduling these treatments.
One follow-up spraying is still scheduled for next week: Thursday, Nov. 2 in the Robindale Road area. We will spray this area between 8:45 p.m. and 2 a.m. We will continue to watch the weather forecast. Any decision to cancel this spraying will be made at the time of spraying and announced the following day.
“We’ll have to watch the weather closely this Thursday to make sure conditions are suitable for spraying,” said KCHD Environmental Health Director Ronnie Nease. “It’s important for the public to know that even though fall weather is here, mosquitoes will still be active until we have our first good frost, which in Knox County may be this weekend.”
Weather conditions such as rain, high winds, and temperatures near or below 55 degrees can compromise the effectiveness of the spray. Any decision to cancel sprayings based on weather conditions will be made at the time of spraying and will be announced the following day.
Click here to view maps of scheduled spray areasTo prevent mosquito bites and reduce mosquito habitats, officials recommend the following:
- Apply repellants to skin often; these can include lotions, liquids or sprays. The CDC recommends the use of repellants that contain DEET, Picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or para-menthane 3, 8-diol, and IR3535. The duration of protection varies by repellant; read labels on products to determine when reapplications are necessary for optimal protection.
- Wear long, loose and light-colored shirts and pants and wear socks.
- Treat clothing with permethrin or purchase pretreated permethrin clothing.
- Dispose of, regularly empty, or turn over any water holding containers on your property such as tires, cans, flower pots, children’s toys or trash cans.
- To prevent breeding in large water-holding devices, including bird baths or garden pools, use larvicides such as mosquito torpedoes or mosquito dunks. If used properly, larvicides will not harm animals.
- More tips can be found at: http://www.knoxcounty.org/health/mosquitoes.php
Like crows and jays, horses contract WNV from mosquitoes, but they do not transmit it to humans. They are also part of the CDC protocol for West Nile virus surveillance: they are a sentinel or an indicator of the presence of the virus in an area. While there is no evidence a person can contract WNV from handling live or dead infected birds, officials urge the public to avoid bare-hand contact with any dead animal. Barriers such as gloves may be used if handling a dead bird is unavoidable, such as when discarding the bird.
Areas scheduled for treatment on Thursday, Nov. 2:
Robindale Road spray area:
Cumberland Estates subdivision (Robindale Road, Willowdale Drive, Silverhill Drive, Newberry Road, Springbrook Road and portions of Deerfield Road, Landon Drive, Royalview Road, Crestfield Road and Palmetto Road); Short Road; High Drive; and Nickle Road from Western Avenue to High Drive will be treated, weather permitting.
To reduce the risk of mosquito-borne disease, KCHD conducts a West Nile virus control program during the summer and fall months. As the weather warms each spring, public health professionals begin a weekly process of trapping and testing mosquitoes for WNV, a mosquito-borne disease which can infect humans, horses and birds. From March until the first frost, KCHD also uses larvicides in areas with standing water to prevent mosquito proliferation. These efforts are in addition to KCHD’s work to assess and monitor for Zika virus disease. More information is available by calling 865-215-5200 or visiting www.knoxcounty.org/health.
