Mosquito spraying set for Sunday at NYS Fairgrounds

Geddes (WSYR-TV) - Ground spraying for mosquitoes will begin Sunday night, weather permitting, at the New York State Fairgrounds.

The decision to spray came after health officials found two more pools of infected mosquitoes on Gerelock Road in Geddes.

Assuming they spray Sunday night, the chemical will work against mosquitoes for about seven to ten days, but there should be no risk at all if you're planning to at the fair opening day.

It's a low concentration they'll be using and they've done it before at the fairgrounds. After an hour it's okay to go back outside where they've sprayed. The health department has already been out using pesticides to control mosquito larvae; that gets the baby mosquitoes. The spraying will help get rid of the adults. Health department officials were out at the fairgrounds Friday going over the exact plan for spraying.

State Fair Director Dan O'Hara told NewsChannel 9, "They're the experts. They know what they're doing, they've consulted with us. We're going to coordinate the efforts on Sunday night to make sure whatever rules need to be followed we're going to do that."

The health commissioner was very clear when we talked with her about the fact that spraying will not eliminate mosquitoes. People still need to be vigilant, especially during peak mosquito hours – dusk and dawn. Remember to wear repellant, long pants and long sleeves. Doctor Morrow says assume West Nile and EEE are here for the rest of the season.

Health officials used to ask anyone who found a dead bird to contact them. That was when West Nile first made its entry into Onondaga County – about ten years ago. They didn’t know that much about the virus, so studying birds, which are particularly susceptible to West Nile, helped health officials better understand it. Now they have a much better understanding and method of tracking the virus.

So far, Onondaga County has not found any mosquito pools with EEE. Although the health commissioner expects they will at some point this season.

Oswego County on the other hand has found 16 infected pools. EEE has led to the death of a four-year-old girl from New Have last weekend.