ALLEGAN COUNTY, Mich. - The Allegan County Health Department is working to trap mosquitoes and study them. The goal is to track what types of diseases they may be carrying to keep you and your family safe.
Multiple traps are set up in parks and campgrounds around Allegan County. Within the trap, there is a fan that creates a tunnel vacuum to suck the mosquitoes and ticks in. The crews use carbon dioxide to lure in the insects.
"We're doing surveillance to make sure the species in the area is safe and if there are any issues, we make sure to inform the public and promote education outreach to help prevent measures to get infections," said Derek Carpenter with Allegan County Public Health.
The program is intended to track any potential diseases like Lyme, West Nile and the Zika virus. The health department encourages everyone to wear insect repellent and wear long sleeves and pants in areas with a large bug populations.
