Ground spraying tonight for mosquitoes at campus's southwest corner

by Dave Jones
July 23, 2014

Map: Mosquito spray zone, southwest corner of Davis campus

Ground spraying for mosquitoes is planned tonight (July 23) in UC Davis’ southwest corner, along the arboretum waterway west of Putah Creek Lodge Drive.

The Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District will do the spraying by truck, targeting adult mosquitoes that may be carrying the West Nile virus. A sampling operation on Monday (July 21) detected two infected adults.

The spraying is scheduled between 8:45 and 11 p.m. The spray zone lies south of Garrod Drive (and the Health Sciences District), but does not include the Equestrian Center. See map.

Campus officials said people, if they had planned to be in the area — say, to visit the Shields Oak Grove or to take a walk along the waterway — should relocate their activities. The arboretum planned to set out signs to advise of the situation.

Officials said the district will spray Anvil 10+10, a pyrethroid, a synthetic version of pyrethrins, which are natural insecticides that act by blocking chemical signals at nerve junctions.

“At the rates we apply these products (three-quarter ounce or less per acre), they should not pose a significant risk to you or your family, and, in fact, are used at a higher rate to treat head lice in children,” the district states on its spraying FAQ page. “However, it is always a good idea to remain indoors and keep windows and doors closed during applications.”