Mosquito activity has been especially high the past couple of weeks. This is a concern with the threat of West Nile Virus. The Minonk Public Works Dept. has qualified and licensed personnel for adulticiding and larviciding mosquitoes. Adulticiding is a control method whereby a fog is sprayed into the air to eliminate the adult mosquitoes. However, aerosol fog kills only mosquitoes that contact insecticide droplets, and the fog soon dissipates. Although the local mosquito population is reduced, fogging does not prevent mosquitoes from re-entering the area. Adulticiding is done in the evening, nighttime, or early morning hours. This is when the Culex mosquitoes are most active. This Thursday evening, Sept. 6, the Public Works dept. will be adulticiding again. (weather permitting) Larviciding is the preferred method of eliminating mosquitoes and is done by placing packets of insecticide or briquets in catch basins, drainage ditches, small ponds, or anywhere there is standing water. This will kill or stop the growth of mosquitoes before they become adults. Control of culex mosquito larvae is a priority. Although West Nile Virus has been detected in several species of mosquitoes, about 70 percent of the positive samples have been from Culex pipiens (the house mosquito) and related species of Culex. The house mosquito breeds most prolifically in stagnant water that has a heavy organic content. Most of the house mosquitoes are produced locally because the house mosquito does not fly more than one or two miles from its production site. In contrast, inland flood mosquitoes (Aedes vexans) can fly 10 or more miles from where they hatch, particularly along prevailing winds. Although floodwater mosquitoes, when abundant, can be a nuisance to the public, they have not been significant disease carriers in Illinois and are currently believed to be minor carriers of West Nile Virus.