OAK GROVE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – Lingering standing water caused by the April flood and the oncoming summer weather has caused an influx of mosquitos to pop up around Oak Grove. During the May 6 Oak Grove City Council meeting, council member Edward Cook led discussions about options for mosquito control.
“We don’t all want diseases the mosquitoes will carry this year,” Cook said. “They’ve been traveling from the east towards this area, and several diseases have been talked about. I’d rather see people healthy and especially with the flood we have all this standing water.”
Council member Janet Edwards agreed that this year was different, and residents had more concerns. “We’re in a different situation because there is so much standing water,” Edwards said.
Oak Grove Mayor Jackie Oliver shared some information that she previously gathered, saying that she found an agriculture service that will spray the city for free to eliminate the mosquitos. She added that this option does come with risk, and there still may be concern for exposure. There is also the possibility that the spray will impact of the local bee population.
“What we need to understand is that there will be people who will be mad if we spray for mosquitoes because it also kills the bees.” Oliver added.
They discussed that spraying should occur at night after 9 p.m. to avoid the spray having direct contact with people, and also minimizing the risk to bees. The spray would occur periodically in areas with standing waters, and other locations in the city that require it. The council agreed that this plan would be the best option for the city.