LAUREL, Md. — The Maryland Department of Agriculture announced that mosquitoes that have tested positive for West Nile Virus have been trapped at Highpoint Trail, Overlook Way and Oxford Drive, Northlake Court.
The MDA says if conditions permit they will be conducting unscheduled spraying on August 20.
A 3/4-mile radius of the site map will be sprayed.
MDA says precautions remain the same, but they are not spraying according to municipality boundaries and any exemptions from spraying are paused.
To reduce getting bit by mosquitoes, residents should:
- TIP IT OR TOSS IT!! Remove standing water. Emptying out water that collects in toys, tires, trash cans, buckets, clogged rain gutters and plant pots will prevent mosquitoes a place to lay their eggs and reproduce.
- Keep all swimming pools chlorinated and filtered. Backyard ponds should include fish to control mosquito larvae.
- Minimize time spent outdoors between dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
- Be sure door and window screens are tight-fitting and in good repair.
- Wear long sleeves and pants. Create a barrier to mosquito bites by covering up.
- Consider using EPA-registered repellent [cdc.gov] such as those containing DEET, picaridin, IR3535, oil of lemon eucalyptus, para-menthane-diol or 2-undecanone.
- Use mosquito netting when sleeping outdoors or in an unscreened structure and to protect infants when outdoors.
