Residents in several west suburban communities were put on notice Wednesday that mosquito-control trucks could be out after dark, after an earlier treatment was derailed by equipment trouble. The Des Plaines Valley Mosquito Abatement District cited elevated West Nile virus activity among mosquitoes and planned another round of adult control, weather permitting. The operation was scheduled to run from 8:15 p.m. to midnight.
According to a Wednesday update from the Village of Brookfield Government, Tuesday night's scheduled spraying was not completed because of equipment issues. The district then planned treatment for areas across Brookfield, Lyons, McCook, Hodgkins, Riverside and Summit.
Where the Rescheduled Treatment Was Planned
The notice covered all areas within Brookfield south of Plainfield Road, along with Lyons, McCook and Hodgkins. It also included areas of Brookfield north of Plainfield Road and Riverside west of First Avenue that had not been completed earlier, plus all areas within Summit.
The district's latest season update says several parts of its service area had reached levels of West Nile virus activity in adult mosquitoes at which transmission to humans was considered likely. The update also blamed recent warm temperatures for creating favorable conditions for the mosquitoes and faster virus amplification, according to the Des Plaines Valley Mosquito Abatement District.
Why This Spraying Is Not Routine
Adult mosquito spraying is not the district's everyday approach. Its adult-control policy says truck-based treatment is reserved for situations involving a significant risk of mosquito-borne disease transmission, with positive mosquito pools serving as one of the main triggers.
The district says the work targets Culex mosquitoes and is conducted after dusk, when the disease-carrying mosquitoes are most active and pollinators are less active. Because the operation was weather permitting and followed an equipment-related delay, the public notice should be read as a treatment plan rather than confirmation that every listed area was sprayed.
How Residents Can Reduce Their Risk
The Cook County Department of Public Health recommends limiting outdoor activity from dusk to dawn, repairing window screens and using EPA-registered insect repellent as directed. Long sleeves, long pants, socks and light-colored, loose-fitting clothing can also help reduce bites.
Residents should also dump standing water from buckets, flowerpots, old tires, pet bowls and other containers around their homes. The district says clogged gutters, uncovered rain barrels and neglected pools can become mosquito breeding sites, even when a spray operation is planned nearby.
The district directs residents to check its website and Facebook updates for changes to the evening schedule. No public notice reviewed for this report confirmed whether Wednesday night's rescheduled operation was completed in every listed community.
