Mosquito Spraying Scheduled This Week in West Peabody

Peabody public health officials announced Monday that targeted pesticide spraying is scheduled this week in West Peabody due to the recent identification of mosquito pools that tested positive for West Nile Virus in Lynnfield close to the Peabody border.

Health Department Director Sharon Cameron said no positive samples have turned up yet this year in Peabody, and the spraying coincides with targeted efforts in both Lynnfield and Middleton, which also had WNV-positive mosquito samples.

You can see the target area in Peabody on the map included with this article. Essentially it covers neighborhoods between Winona, Lake and Lowell streets over to the Lynnfield line as well as streets around several city parks in the area and the bike path.

Those parks are the Kennedy fields, Corbeil Park, Ross Park and Symphony Park.

Spraying is scheduled between Aug. 13 and 15, depending on weather conditions. Cameron said the plan is to start after 8 p.m. on Tuesday for that night only, but it may be delayed to either Wednesday or Thursday evening.

"We’re hoping it will be tomorrow [Tuesday], but it is temperature- and rain-dependent, so it could be Wednesday or Thursday before they are able to do it," she said.

"Lynnfield and Middleton are both queued up ahead of us because they had positive mosquito pools, so if their spraying gets delayed, ours will be bumped back," she said.

Spraying is conducted and scheduled by the Northeast Mass. Mosquito Control, which is a public agency that covers numerous communities in Massachusetts.

"Residents do not need to take special precautions to prepare for the spray activity, but may choose to stay indoors or close windows and shut off air-conditioners when the truck is on their street," said Cameron.

The risk for WNV in Peabody is still considered low, but Cameron says it's important for residents to continue to take personal precautions against mosquitoes, i.e. using insect repellent, wearing long-sleeved shirts, minimizing outdoor activity between dusk and dawn and removing standing water around their homes.

You can find more information at www.mass.gov/dph/wnv and at the Peabody Health Department office at City Hall. You can also call 978-538-5926 with any questions.