Second Round Of Mosquito Spraying Planned In Rhode Island

COVENTRY, RI — The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management will be conducting a second round of aerial mosquito pesticide spraying, the department announced Thursday. The spraying will happen in two targeted areas in the central and southern part of the state next week.

Weather permitting, spraying will happen on Monday night. The first area is in the central part of the state, covering parts of Coventry, all of West Warwick, Warwick, East Greenwich and Scituate. The second is in the southwest part of the state, including most of Westerly, Hopkinton and Charlestown as well as parts of of Richmond and South Kingstown.

On Tuesday, the Department of Health announced that two more Rhode Islanders were diagnosed with Eastern equine encephalitis, one person in their 50s from Charlestown and a 6-year-old girl from Coventry. Both were released from the hospital and are recovering. On Sept. 9, the department announced that the first patient, a man from West Warwick, died from the illness.

According to the DEM, the four areas previously sprayed are still considered to be at "critical risk" for EEE.

This week, a EEE-positive mosquito was found in a pool of trapped mosquitoes from Western Coventry. To date, the disease has been found in seven Rhode Island mosquito pools: two in Central Falls, three in Westerly, one on Block Island and the latest in Coventry. A Westerly horse and three deer have also tested positive for EEE: one in Coventry, one in Richmond and one in Exeter. While the disease cannot be transmitted from animals to people, it is a reminder that residents in these areas should take extra precautions, the DEM said.

The DEM identified the new spraying areas based on work from entomologists on the Rhode Island Mosquito-Borne Disease Advisory Group.

To be successful, spraying must happen on calm nights with temperatures above 58 degrees. Spraying will not happen over fish hatcheries, certified organic farms, surface drinking water supplies, or other open water bodies and coastal areas.

The pesticide, Anvil 10+10, is used in very small amounts and is not believed to have any health risks. To be extra cautious, residents are asked to stay inside during spraying hours and close their windows.

The risk of mosquito-borne illnesses will continue until the first hard frost. Until then, schools and sports teams are asked to use "smart scheduling" to avoid any outside activity during dusk and the early morning, when mosquitoes are most active.