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SACRAMENTO –

Aerial spraying of a pesticide began Monday night over a portion of South Sacramento, and will continue again on Tuesday between 8 p.m. and midnight, a time when mosquitoes are typically active.

According to the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District, the spraying will focus on 17,000 acres south of Broadway, north of Meadowview Road, East of Interstate 5 and West of Power Inn Road.

So far this year in Sacramento, 57 mosquito samples and 35 dead birds have tested positive for West Nile virus. A significant concentration of them were found in the area that is the focus of the spraying, according to the district.

During spraying, an airplane drops a fine mist of an insecticide called Trumpet, designed to kill mosquitoes and bugs smaller than mosquitoes.