'So Far, So Good': RI Completes First Half Of Mosquito Sprays

Sunday night's aerial pesticide spraying was a success, the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management said Monday morning. Crews were able to cover approximately half of the identified areas in two flights.

The first flight took off from Quonset at 7 p.m., covering the central part of the state, Mike Healey, the chief public affairs officer at the DEM. The area included all of West Warwick and parts of Coventry, Warwick, East Greenwich and West Greenwich.

After completing the first area, the plane stopped to refuel and load up with more pesticide around 11 p.m. before taking off again to spray over the northern part of the state in an area covering Central Falls and parts of Pawtucket, North Providence, Providence and Lincoln. Spraying wrapped up a little after 2 a.m. Monday.

"So far, so good," Healey said.

The total area is about 115,000 acres across the state. Approximately 60,000 to 65,000 acres were covered on Sunday night.

To successfully spray the so-called "adulticide," weather conditions must be favorable, requiring low wind and temperatures above 58 degrees.

"Our goal is to get the adult mosquitoes while they're flying around," Healey said, saying that below 58 degrees, the insects will go dormant, making the spray far less effective. Meanwhile, windy conditions can blow the pesticide off course so it doesn't land on its intended target.

The two remaining areas will be covered on Monday night, one at the northernmost part of the state in Burrillville, Woonsocket and North Smithfield and the other in the southwest corner of the state, covering Westerly, Hopkinton and Charlestown.

To keep Rhode Island residents safe, Healey said the department takes precautions to limit human exposure to the pesticide as much as possible. Spraying is only done at night, when most people are inside. Residents in the targeted areas are asked to stay inside as much as possible after 7 p.m., close their windows and shut off the air conditioner.

"One night of inconvenience isn't that big of an ask," Healey said.

Monday night's spraying will be complete by 4:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

The pesticide used is called Anvil 10+10, in very low concentrations. Flight maps are designed to avoid organic farms, salt ponds, fish hatcheries and reservoirs.

Larvicide, aimed at targeting mosquitoes before they can mature into adults, was planned for three marshy areas last week.

This year has been particularly bad for mosquito-borne illnesses in Rhode Island and much of Southern New England. At this time, four EEE-positive mosquitoes have been trapped in the state: two in Central Falls and two in Westerly. There have been two cases of the disease as well, the first in a Westerly horse and the second in a West Warwick resident, the first human case in the state since 2010. To decrease risk, schools and sports teams are asked to practice "smart scheduling," avoiding outdoor activities during early morning and evening hours.