The deets on West Nile

What was already a fairly bad year for mosquitoes was made worse by the revelation that some tested positive for West Nile virus.

The great outdoors is one of Douglas County’s key selling points, but along with the fairly wide open spaces there are hazards both apparent and hidden.

While you might think dry conditions would reduce the mosquito crop, there’s plenty of standing water around.

The Valley’s green spaces aren’t there by accident. While some of Carson Valley was essentially a swamp when Europeans arrived, hard work spread a network of irrigation ditches, canals and sloughs that carried water from the rivers to fields from one end of the Valley to the other.

That means there are a lot of standing water in places across the Valley, including where the river is barely running.

The three most recent West Nile hotspots are near Carson Valley Golf Course, Genoa and up near Kirman Field where the Carson flows north out of Douglas County.

The county’s mosquito abatement district was founded 55 years ago after veterinarian Keith Cornforth found himself busy swatting mosquitoes while trying to artificially inseminate cows.

That’s the most Carson Valley thing we can think of to establish a district, and that work continues to this day, and by that we mean right now.

After fogging for larvae and spraying for adults, the district will test traps in the hot spots and see if they got them. We’re rooting for them. Meanwhile, there may be some progress in the works for spots that are outside of the district like Topaz Lake.

In the meantime, take Director Krista Jenkins’ advice and rotate different kinds of insect repellent. If there is standing water in pots or pans, or even a tire swing, empty it out.

If there’s one thing mosquitoes will be looking for this summer it will be some small wet spot to breed.