Fresno County's mosquito abatement team swamped with requests for spraying

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Fresno County's mosquito abatement team is swamped with requests for traps and complaints from residents who want crews to spray their neighborhoods.

While the mosquito crews have set hundreds of traps and sprayed all over Fresno County they say they are backlogged with requests right now.

Those who have asked for traps will get them. The traps merely detect what species of mosquitoes are present.

If West Nile or St. Louis Encephalitis is detected, crews get out to the area to spray within one or two days. But the number of requests for traps has exceeded their capacity to respond quickly.

The abatement team sprays from dusk until dawn in neighborhoods where West Nile has been detected. However, Fresno County has what's called day-biting mosquitoes.

The day biters are not dangerous, simply a nuisance and night spraying has no effect on them.

So besides getting rid of all standing water in your yard, you should spray frequently with mosquito repellent.

Fresno County's abatement team says it will get to infected neighborhoods as soon as they possibly can.