Mosquito control in Central Oregon can make a very big difference
SUNRIVER, Ore. (KTVZ) — Depending on where you are in Central Oregon, mosquitoes can be everywhere or nearly non-existent. That's due in part to the efforts of vector control groups like the Four Rivers Vector Control District.
It's not pest control. Its entire focus is on killing mosquitoes and getting them early before they start biting.
Four Rivers Vector Control has been out since April, treating the areas.
"With where the areas where mosquitoes actually spawn with a naturally occurring bacteria to kill them, the difference between the places treated and those not treated is dramatic, huge, very huge," Myles Bowlin, from Four Rivers Vector Control told KTVZ News.
"I think personally, without mosquito control, in the Sunriver area especially, there would almost be nobody outside recreating," he said. "We have areas just over a fence where one side you'll be perfectly fine. If you go two miles in one direction, you cannot get out of your car."
For the Four Rivers Vector Control District, mosquitoes are not just a nuisance, but a public health issue. As part of this effort, it's using a helicopter between June 15th and July 15th. It'll fly over the Little Deschutes River area of Sunriver during daylight hours.