CHEROKEE COUNTY, Ga. — The father of two Cherokee county public school students is providing mosquito insecticide spraying at all public schools at no charge.
Josh Wise, co-owner of GrassRoots Tree and Turf, said he grew concerned on hearing warnings of a possible outbreak of the dangerous.
Zika virus has already infected over 300 people in the United States. The virus is carried by mosquitoes.
"With all the news going on with Zika, there's a lot of unknowns. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. We thought, let’s do what we can to knock back the mosquitoes around schools and protect the kids," said Wise. %
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Wise and his crew started the spraying program at nearly forty Cherokee County schools over spring break. He told Channel 2's Tom Regan they do not spray on playgrounds. Instead, they stick to bushes, trees and building foundations, which could be mosquito breeding grounds.
"We're working with the school system when we do the application. We send an email showing what we did on property and the areas of concern,” said Wise.
His coworkers are also alerting staff to potential problem areas.
"Educating the teachers, faculty and staff on how they can prevent mosquitoes from breeding," said Wise.
Cherokee County schools say they're happy Wise has offered his service.
"We're doing everything we can in the school district to minimize the population of mosquitoes," said Cherokee County Schools Director for Risk Management, Safety and Benefits, Julie Little.
Wise said his crew will continue the insecticide program through the mosquito breeding season.
Cox Media Group
