Some Severna Park residents will see nighttime mosquito spraying in the coming weeks as state officials try to knock down the West Nile fever threat from local mosquitoes.
Department of Agriculture officials said they were responding to reports of two human cases of West Nile fever — one confirmed, one "probable" — in the area to be sprayed. State health officials said Maryland has seen 12 confirmed human cases of West Nile fever this year.
The Agriculture Department statement said spray trucks will be operating in the Arden on Severn and Herald Harbor communities, on the south shore of the Severn River, on Sept. 26 and Oct. 3, weather permitting. They'll move to the north shore on Sept. 29 and Oct. 6, spraying along Benfield Road east of Gov. Stone Boulevard.
Spraying will begin after 8 p.m. and continue into the early morning hours. Residents are advised to remain indoors during those hours.
Before the latest confirmed case in Anne Arundel County turned up, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said two of Maryland's human West Nile infections were in Anne Arundel County, five in Montgomery County, and one each in Baltimore, Prince George's and Harford counties, and Baltimore City. There have been no deaths.
frank.roylance@baltsun.com