North Texans are beginning to fight the bite in 2015.
“I am so scared of mosquito bites on my grandchild, on my dog, on myself and it’s just so difficult” said Highland Park resident Nils Johnson.
Stores are stocking up on products to keep mosquitoes away and to prevent them from breeding.
"Warm weather, rain every once in a while and maybe having some areas where maybe we don’t know that water’s standing, you’re going to have mosquitoes," said Rusty E. Allen, with North Haven Gardens in North Dallas.
Dallas County now looks year round for mosquitoes that carry the West Nile virus.
“We’ve trapped all winter, have not yielded any positive mosquitoes,” said Dallas County Health Director Zachary Thompson. “Now that we’re going into West Nile season, lets remove any breeding opportunity for mosquitoes."
“We need citizens to do one thing, dump all the standing water around their homes” said Thompson. “That’s going to be the first defense for mosquitoes.”
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Dallas County didn’t record any deaths from West Nile last year though there were two in 2013.
“We’re ready to go in terms of ground spraying, we’re ready to go if aerial spraying in needed” said Thompson. “All options are on the table, but the first line of defense, and that’s what everyone always miss, is around our own homes."
In 2012, Dallas County recorded 398 cases of West Nile virus and 20 deaths.
