Fight the Bite

This summer, the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department plans to control mosquito populations in the community by bringing increased focus to eliminating standing water and preventing mosquito larvae from hatching. This includes free mosquito larvicide, available by visiting the Environmental Health office on the second floor of the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department, 650 Newtown Pike, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday. Supplies are limited. Educational materials will be provided.

The department will also use mosquito trapping to identify areas where spraying for adult mosquitos would be most useful. The health department has surveyed Lexington neighborhoods to identify and treat large areas of standing water that can serve as prime locations for mosquitoes to lay their eggs. Elimination of standing water is the ultimate goal, but in places where puddles exist, the water can be treated to kill mosquito larvae with a chemical called a larvicide.

The health department will no longer conduct routine mosquito spraying for adult mosquitoes throughout the city on a regular cycle. Instead, mosquito traps will be placed in potential problem areas. If a certain threshold of mosquito activity is reached, the department will conduct targeted spraying in the appropriate areas. Those areas will be announced via the health department’s website, www.lfchd.org, and social media pages.

For spraying, the health department uses Duet, an EPA-approved agent that features a component that stimulates resting mosquitoes in trees and foliage, causing them to fly into the air and come into contact with the spray’s mosquito-killing agent, sumithrin. Duet has been rigorously tested for human and animal safety and is registered for outdoor residential and recreational areas.

To report a standing water problem in your neighborhood, please call the health department’s Environmental Health section at (859) 231-9791.

HEALTH CALENDAR 

FRI JUL 1 

A&W Restaurants will partner with the American Red Cross to host a Blood Drive on July 1. All donors will receive a free Root Beer Float, 10 am – 2 pm at A&W HQ at 1648 McGrathiana Pkwy. 

FRI JUL 22

Headspace  is a dance performance that focuses on mental health and expressivity, with a special emphasis on community outreach, 8 pm, Moondance in Beaumont. 

RUN FOR IT

JUL 4 Bluegrass 10k and Fun Run

JUL 8 Nothing Bundt Fun 3k

JUL 18 BreyerFest Strudel Sprint 5k

JUL 22 Crank & Boom Sprint for Scoops 

AUG 13 Midsummer Night’s Run 5k