According to the health department, now is the perfect time to clean up that standing water residents might have on their property from the recent snow melt and heavy rains.

Standing water that has been sitting for seven days or more can create an ideal breeding ground for mosquitoes. It often collects in objects like birdbaths, old tires, toys, plant saucers or clogged eaves troughs.

"Removing standing water is a huge factor that really helps," said Lisa Fortuna, Halton manager of enteric and vector-borne diseases.

She noted this season is a bit different than others because the mass amounts of snow and rain have made the area very wet to start with.

Combine that with the warm weather, and Fortuna said the health department might have to start its West Nile control program a little earlier than expected.

Currently the plan is to start the program next month, with dead bird collection slated to commence on May 12. Dead birds, particularly crows and blue jays, help track the presence of WNv.

The Region will also begin its mosquito larviciding program when staff has identified mosquito larvae in catch basins or areas of standing water. Fortuna said this usually happens around the end of May.

Something new for this year is a WNv study the health department is planning to conduct in industrial areas throughout the region.

"These are areas that, year after year, have West Nile virus activity," said Fortuna. "This will help educate them (the industrial areas) because they can also be a source for mosquito breeding grounds."

Last year a similar study was done on backyards in Burlington and Oakville. It found that 88 per cent of those backyards had potential mosquito breeding sites.

The health department has consistently found WNv activity in Halton's bird population since 2001 and the mosquito population since 2002.

There were only two probable human cases of WNv reported in Halton residents last year. Both were deemed to be travel-related.

Residents can protect themselves from mosquito bites by wearing tightly-woven, light-coloured, long-sleeved shirts and pants, avoiding the outdoors from early evening to morning and using an approved insect repellent that contains DEET.

For more information call the Region at (905) 825-6000 or visit www.halton.ca/wnv.

Melanie Hennessey can be reached at mhennessey@miltoncanadianchampion.com.