Mosquito Spray Planned Thursday In Bensalem

The Bucks County West Nile Program will be conducting a mosquito control operation to reduce high populations of mosquitoes capable of transmitting West Nile Virus this Thursday in parts of Bensalem Township.

Weather conditions and other unexpected events could delay or cancel this spray operation. If the spray is cancelled for Thursday, it will be done the next day.

The areas to receive the treatment will be the Bensalem Municipal Building, including the amphitheater area and wood line, and the Bensalem Country Club.

The announcement for the spray comes just days after multiple mosquitoes were found in Bensalem to have tested positive for West Nile.

According to information from the county, the treatments will be administered via truck-mounted equipment, spraying residential and recreational mosquito habitat. The equipment dispenses Duet Dual-Action adulticide at a rate of 0.75 ounces per acre. The product is designed to provide quick, effective control of adult mosquito populations. The application material has a very low toxicity profile to mammals and will have negligible impact to non-target insects and the environment.

West Nile virus can cause humans to contract West Nile encephalitis, an infection that can result in an inflammation of the brain. According to the Pennsylvania Department of Health, all residents in areas where virus activity has been identified are at risk of contracting West Nile encephalitis.

In 2016, West Nile virus has been detected in the following counties: Adams, Allegheny, Beaver, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Cambria, Centre, Chester, Cumberland, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Indiana, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Montgomery, Northampton, Philadelphia, Schuylkill, Warren, and York.