County Combats Mosquitoes

A helicopter under contract with the county will be dropping anti-mosquito larvicide this Wednesday, July 20, over wetland areas countywide, including along the San Diego River in the city of Santee.

The larvicide, which kills mosquito larvae before they grow into biting adults, is made from bacteria and is not toxic to humans or wildlife.

The aerial deposition is being done by the county Department of Environmental Health vector control division to reduce the mosquito population and the risk of West Nile virus.

The larvicide drops used to be conducted once every month during the summer, but county officials increased that to once every three weeks in response to requests from residents asking for more frequent action.

For more information on the San Diego County Vector Control Program, and the application locations or the material used, please view the San Diego County West Nile Virus web page and aerial drop sites.