Westchester County monitors the presence of a variety of mosquitoes by trapping them in various locations throughout Westchester to determine the presence of mosquitoes that carry West Nile Virus and other diseases and evaluate the need for further treatment. Throughout May and June, field inspectors from the Health Department applied larvicide to more than 57,000 state and municipal catch basins as part of County Executive Andy Spano's Operation Mosquito S.T.I.N.G. (Stop The Insects' Next Generation). Operation Mosquito S.T.I.N.G is a multi-level program to reduce mosquito breeding and the possibility of outbreaks of mosquito-borne diseases such as West Nile virus.  In addition to the catch basins treated with larvicide, more than 12,000 catch basins were evaluated but not treated because the catch basins did not collect water and were an unfit mosquito breeding ground.

June 30 , 2009: Mosquito Larviciding program completed. Residents urged to take precautions against West Nile virus this holiday weekend.

June 15 , 2009: West Nile virus prevention efforts begin today.
 

	Martin Kerschus, a Senior Sanitarian who runs the mosquito lab,  displays a hanging trap used to catch mosquitoes. The blue cooler contains dry ice, which helps attract mosquitoes hunting for a blood meal.
	This trap, which contains a pungent mix of week-old hay and water, is used to attract pregnant mosquitoes.
	Frozen mosquitoes being sorted from other insects.
	Sorting mosquitoes.
	Lab technician Sara Caldwell identifies mosquitoes that had been trapped.
	Mosquitoes under a microscope.