Tarrant County Public Health says they'll spray for mosquitoes in an unincorporated part of the county after one of the insects tested positive for West Nile virus.
The infected mosquito was collected in a trap in the southwestern part of the county near Bucking Bronc Drive southwest of Benbrook Lake.
As a result, the county will begin targeted ground spraying in the affected area Friday from about 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next morning.
To date, the Tarrant County Public Health Department has tested 1,923 mosquito samples at TCPH’s North Texas Regional Laboratory since seasonal surveillance began on April 1. A total of 23 samples have tested positive – Arlington (2), Crowley (3), Fort Worth (6), Grapevine (1), Hurst (1), Lake Worth (1), North Richland Hills (1), Pantego (1), Richland Hills (1) and Unincorporated Tarrant County (6).
- Dress in long sleeves, pants when outside: For extra protection, spray thin clothing with repellent.
- DEET: Make sure this ingredient is in your insect repellent.
- Drain standing water in your yard and neighborhood: Mosquitoes can develop in any water stagnant for more than three days.
It has been recommended in the past that to avoid mosquito bites you should avoid being outdoors during Dusk and Dawn (the 4 Ds). While this is true for mosquitoes that commonly carry the West Nile virus, other types of mosquitoes that are more likely to carry Zika, dengue and chikungunya are active during the day. When outdoors, no matter what time of day, adjust your dress accordingly and wear insect repellent containing DEET, picaridin or oil of lemon eucalyptus as your first line of defense against insect bites.
