West Nile Virus Found in East Goshen Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes with West Nile Virus have been discovered in a East Goshen Township.

Two different species of mosquito, culex pipens and culex restuans, tested positive for the virus, according to state records.

State records show the East Goshen positive test is one of two in Chester County in 2012, all found in mosquitoes. The other was found in West Chester in June.

The state's West Nile Virus website provides guidance on how to avoid infection, mostly by preventing mosquitoes from having places to breed in and around one's home. 

The state's tips include:

• Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or similar water-holding containers that have collected on your property.
• Pay special attention to discarded tires. Stagnant water in tires are where most mosquitoes breed.
• Have clogged roof gutters cleaned every year, particularly if the leaves from surrounding trees have a tendency to plug up the drains. Roof gutters can produce millions of mosquitoes each season.
• Turn over plastic wading pools when not in use. Stagnant water in a wading pool becomes a place for mosquitoes to breed.
• Turn over wheelbarrows and don't let water stagnate in birdbaths. Both provide breeding habitats for domestic mosquitoes.
• Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish. Water gardens can become major mosquito producers if they are allowed to stagnate. Clean and chlorinate swimming pools not in use. A swimming pool left untended by a family on vacation for a month can produce enough mosquitoes to result in neighborhood-wide complaints. Mosquitoes may even breed in the water that collects on pool covers.