From KGET
June 1, 2022
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) – Kern County’s ongoing battle against disease-carrying mosquitoes has a new weapon. A truck-mounted sprayer that’s capable of producing a super-fine, super-effective mist is coming to a neighborhood near you.
It’s called a Wide Area Larvicide Spraying system, and it will specifically target ankle-biters, or as they’re more formally known, Aedes aegypti. Those are the persistent bugs that showed up in Arvin in 2013, made their way to Bakersfield in 2018 and haven’t left since then.
They’re not just annoying – they can carry West Nile Virus. Starting June 6, the Kern Mosquito and Vector Control District’s new spraying system – WILS for short – will embark on a six-week pilot project. But you’re not invited to watch, even if you’re tempted by the rather noisy motor.