COLUMBIA, S.C. — A dead bird found in Columbia reportedly had West Nile Virus. So, with the threat of infected mosquitos in the area, the city is taking action.
Workers will spray for mosquitos throughout the city of Columbia between midnight and 4 a.m. on Sunday. This spray will lower the chances of any further infections in people or animals.
But while the spray works to protect people, it can be harmful to other flying insects like bees. Local beekeeper Danny Cannon said this spray can be deadly to the species.
“When it comes to mosquito spraying, it’s a necessity of life. Nobody likes sprays but nobody likes mosquitoes,” Cannon said.
But Danny said there are solutions to help prevent the spray from killing bees.
“You want to encourage the bees to go inside. There’s a couple ways to go about it. You can smoke them," he said, referring to the process of using smoke to send them back to their hives.
Other solutions include placing a wet bed sheet over the bee containers or turning on lawn sprinklers to force the bees to stay inside during the spray.
The City of Columbia said other than bees and various flying bugs, the spray poses no further risks.
“There is no residual from the chemical. When we spray it goes into the air," said Columbia Chief Code Enforcement Officer Richard Blackmon. "Whatever mosquitoes are flying around if it hits them, it kills them. If it doesn’t hit, it doesn’t stick to your house or plants."
This means that gardens and food grown in the area are safe. For people with allergies, the city keeps a list of houses to skip to prevent allergic reactions.