Fairgrounds to be sprayed for mosquitoes

MERCER, Pa. -- The Stoneboro Fairgrounds in northeastern Mercer County have been targeted for state spraying to control the adult mosquito population.
Sampling has shown unusually large numbers of mosquitoes that potentially can carry the West Nile virus, said Kelly Burch, the Department of Environmental Protection's northwest regional director.
Spraying will be done during the afternoon and evening Tuesday.
The spraying comes on the heels of an announcement Friday from the state health department that an 11-year-old Mercer County girl contracted West Nile virus but has since recovered.
A dead crow in Stoneboro was found to have the disease Thursday.
The department of health said Friday that the disease has also turned up in a flock of chickens in the county but didn't reveal where that flock is located.
A mosquito trapped in Pine Township was found to be carrying the virus Aug. 14.
Burch said the pesticide to be used Tuesday has no impact on humans or animals, and breaks down very quickly in the environment. It will be sprayed directly onto vegetation and in wooded areas, she said.
The Great Stoneboro Fair is held at the fairgrounds over the Labor Day holiday.