The Town of Berthoud is providing notice to the community of upcoming mosquito spraying to prevent West Nile Virus (WNV). According to Colorado Mosquito Control and the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment, Larimer, Boulder and Weld Counties are experiencing an increase in the number of West Nile positive mosquitoes. After reviewing the WNV-infection data from the traps closest to Berthoud that are tested for the presence of WNV, it has been recommended by the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment to initiate application of adult mosquito control in the community due to the real or imminent public health risk of WNV. Spraying Details Spraying will take place across the town of Berthoud on Monday, August 15 and Tuesday, August 16 between 8 p.m. and midnight each evening. People can minimize exposure to the chemicals by staying indoors, and keeping windows and doors closed for 30-60 minutes after spraying occurs. The active ingredient in the chemical spray is permethrin, which is regularly used on food in agricultural pest control and is also the active ingredient in flea and tick shampoos; it is considered safe for humans and is applied in a much lower concentration than used in the previous types of application. Colorado Mosquito Control uses 0.0033 lbs of AI/acre, which is less than an ounce over an entire football field. The decision to spray is not taken lightly. Town staff is following the Town’s West Nile Virus Management Policy that was adopted by the Board of Trustees in 2015. The West Nile Virus Management Policy’s purpose is to reduce the risk of human West Nile virus infection while limiting adverse human health and environmental impacts. The policy follows a data driven approach to determine when spraying for adult mosquitos should occur. -MORE- Larimer County conducts weekly mosquito trap tests from late June through the summer. They test for West Nile in many of the communities, but not in Berthoud. When elevated levels of West Nile virus occur, the County monitors the trap tests and if they exceed the threshold of the vector index’s predetermined counts, 0.50, spraying in communities is recommended. A recommendation for spraying originates from the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment (LCDHE), not the Town of Berthoud. While overall abundance of traps collected in Berthoud have remained fairly steady over the past couple of weeks, the percentage of mosquitoes that are Culex (meaning they have the potential to transmit West Nile virus) is higher than normal and cause for concern. Vector Indexes July 31-August 6 Boulder County: 1.01 Longmont Area: 0.53 Weld County zone including Johnstown/Milliken/Berthoud/Mead: 2.74 Greeley: 2.75 These numbers strongly suggest the risk is elevated in Berthoud. Larimer County Department of Health and Environment is unable to calculate a vector index specifically for Berthoud since the mosquitoes trapped here are not tested for the actual virus, just to assess the number and species of the mosquitoes in the area. As of the last week, there are two new human cases of WNV in Loveland and Berthoud, indicating an elevated and sustained risk of virus transmission to people. Learn more about the Town of Berthoud’s West Nile Virus Management Policy at http://www.berthoud.org/residents/moquito-spraying-and-west-nile. For up to date, weekly trap test information, visit https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zUMLL7IUvOUo.k698o9O3e6iY&usp=sharing ###