Burlington Mosquito Spraying In July: See Dates

BURLINGTON, MA — The East Middlesex Mosquito Control Project will spray for mosquitos in Burlington and other area towns next week.

Spraying is scheduled Monday, July 10, for areas of Burlington that are located in the vicinity of Lexington Street, Terrace Hall Avenue, Greenwood Road, Sunset Drive, Muller Road, Eugene Road and roads south of Interstate 95 off of Winn Street.

The project notes that the spray routes will include many more roads than those listed.

The spraying will be done between sunset and 11:30 p.m.

If any of the nights are postponed, spraying will be rescheduled for the following week.

The project will use a truck-mounted aerosol sprayer to apply Zenivex E4 at a rate of 1 ounce per acre, according to a statement. Zenivex E4 is classified by the federal Environmental Protection Agency as a reduced risk pesticide, according to a statement. It does not "pose a significant risk to people or their pets due to the low toxicity and the small amount used to control mosquitoes."

But the mosquito control project said advised that if you see a spray truck approaching, go indoors for a few minutes while the spray dissipates. Residents are also advised to close windows.

More information on the project is available here.

Adult mosquitoes carry diseases like Eastern Equine Encephalitis and West Nile virus. EEE cases spiked in 2019; two human cases were detected in 2020 and none in either 2021 or 2022 — although the state did find mosquitoes positive for the virus in 2021. West Nile has been the bigger threat over the last few summers, with nine cases in 2021 and eight in 2022.

According to the state, the risk of contracting either WNV or EEE was remote in the Burlington area as of this week.