Mosquito Spraying Returns To Middlesex County

SUDBURY, MA — Even if coronavirus dissipates in the warm summer months, we may see another period of mosquito-borne diseases like Eastern Equine Encephalitis and West Nile.

To prevent those diseases, the East Middlesex Mosquito Control Project will spray a pesticide called Bti between April 21 and 29. The spraying will take place across wetlands in Sudbury north and east of Route 20 and the historic town center, according to officials.

In 2019, 12 Massachusetts residents were diagnosed with EEE — including Sudbury resident Sophia Garabedian — and three died. It was the state's first EEE outbreak since one that lasted between 2010 and 2012. In that outbreak, nine people were infected and four died.

According to the state Department of Public Health, EEE outbreaks happen every 10 to 20 years, and can last for up to three years at a time.

Bti, the pesticide that will be used in the upcoming spraying, is a type of bacteria that destroys the larvae of mosquitoes, black flies, and fungus gnats. Bti is not harmful to humans, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Here's where the upcoming spraying will happen in Sudbury (locations are approximate):