Police Helicopter to fight West Nile The...

Police Helicopter to fight West Nile

The county’s mosquito fighters have a new ally in the sky to fight

the West Nile Virus.

The Huntington Beach Police Department will enter its second year

of assistance with Orange County Vector Control, using its helicopter

unit to identify potential mosquito breeding areas.

Vector officials are expecting an increase in West Nile cases,

said vector control spokesperson Michael Hearst. The winter’s heavy

rains have created ample breeding opportunities for the insect.

Hearst said he has asked the police department to be on the

lookout for abandoned pools that have turned green from algae.

“Green pools can produce thousands of mosquitoes,” he said. “And

we believe there are thousands of green pools throughout the county.”

Police Department officials will report the pools to Vector

Control, which will in turn approach the property owners and see that

the pool is either drained or populated with mosquito fish that eat

the bugs.