Bug season is about to start: Helicopter to drop mosquito larvicide on swamp in Westerly
PROVIDENCE – Trying to reduce cases of mosquito-borne illness this summer, the Town of Westerly will apply a mosquito larvicide to Chapman Swamp on Monday.
Pellets of Bti, a naturally occurring bacterium that kills mosquito larvae, will be dropped from a helicopter across 500 acres of Chapman Swamp and nearby swamplands, the state Department of Environmental Management said.
The application is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, and will be moved to Tuesday if the weather doesn't cooperate.
More: First human case of West Nile virus reported in RI. What to know.
The DEM says Bti is an "environmentally friendly product whose toxins specifically affect the larvae of only mosquitoes, black flies and fungus gnats and do not pose a risk to human health."
In most cases, the state recommends applying larvicide by hand to roadside catch basins, but aerial application is recommended for the Chapman Swamp area because of its remote location and size, the DEM says.
Using larvicides is part of the state's action plan to control West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis, according to the DEM.
Mosquitoes carrying the EEE virus were found in Chapman Swamp in 1996, 2003, 2019, 2020 and 2022. Since 1997, the town has applied Bti annually to help control mosquito breeding.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Helicopter to drop mosquito larvicide on Westerly swamp
