news release
ANDREW J. SPANO, Westchester County Executive  JOSHUA LIPSMAN, M.D., M.P.H., Commissioner of Health SUSAN TOLCHIN, Director of Communications

CONTACT:    MARY LANDRIGAN                                                                                  (914) 637-4715

                        DONNA GREENE                                                                                        (914) 285-2935                      

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  (5 p.m.)                                                                             July 28, 2000

 

Ground Spraying Schedule

 

The Westchester County Department of Health today announced the following spraying schedule:

 

Friday, July 28, 2000

All spraying operations will be conducted between the hours of 11:30 p.m. and 4:30 a.m., subject to the weather and to the availability of trucks from the contractor.

 

• Two portions of Bedford which were not sprayed last night are scheduled to be sprayed tonight. The first section is the Bedford Hills area bordered on the north and west by the Saw Mill River Parkway, on the east by I-684, and on the south by Bedford Center Road. The second section is bordered on the north by Route 172, on the west by I-684, and on the south and east by the Bedford Town Line.

 

• Also scheduled for re-spraying tonight are the following communities:  New Rochelle, Eastchester, Tuckahoe, Bronxville, Mamaroneck Town, Scarsdale, Pound Ridge, Mount Kisco, New Castle, and Lewisboro.

 

•   In the event that conditions do not permit the above communities to be completely sprayed tonight, spraying will rescheduled for Saturday, July 29. Confirmation regarding this will be released the morning of Saturday, July 29^th.

Tuesday, August 1, 2000

All spraying operations will be conducted between the hours of 11:30 p.m. and 4:30 a.m., subject to the weather and to the availability of trucks from the contractor.

 

Re-spraying of the following communities will be conducted on Tuesday, Aug. 1:

·         Yonkers, Greenburgh (unincorporated portions), Village of Ardsley, Village of Elmsford, White Plains, City of Rye, Harrison, Mamaroneck Village, North Salem, Westchester Community College, and Somers.

 

·         In addition, several new areas will be sprayed on Tuesday, August 1, 2000.  The new areas include Ossining Town, Ossining Village, Briarcliff Manor, Hastings-on-Hudson and Dobbs Ferry.  In the event that conditions do not permit spraying of the above areas to be completed on Aug. 1, spraying is scheduled to be completed on Wednesday, August 2.  Information regarding this will be provided the morning of Aug. 2.

 

The new areas that will be sprayed for mosquitoes are in close proximity to birds or mosquitoes that have recently tested positive for West Nile virus.  Thursday’s report from the New York State Health Department indicated that three new birds have tested positive for West Nile virus: a crow from Bedford, a blue jay from Hastings-on-Hudson, and a red-tailed hawk in Briarcliff Manor. The policy of spraying areas in close proximity to birds or mosquitoes is based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and the New York State Department of Health.

The County will be ground spraying with Anvil, a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide similar to naturally occurring pyrethrins found in chrysanthemums. The ingredients in Anvil are commonly used and found in products that combat fleas and ticks on pets.  When Anvil is used to combat West Nile virus, it is used in very low concentrations.  Most people will not experience any irritating effects so long as they are not normally sensitive to pesticides, plant pollen, hairspray, petroleum solvents or household cleaning products.

For the most recent information on West Nile virus, call the Health Department’s West Nile Virus Information Line at (914) 637-2420 or visit the Health Department’s website at www.westchestergov.com/health.

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