And since crows travel less than some other birds they range only around 200 miles an infected, dead crow is a good indicator of a local virus outbreak. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. The eggs hatch into wiggling larvae that quickly grow into pupae that in turn split open to release hungry adult mosquitoes. And it's those adult mosquitoes that can transmit viral diseases like West Nile virus and encephalitis-causing viruses. Because of the West Nile virus scare, sources of standing water that could serve as mosquito breeding areas have recently been declared a public nuisance in the New York City area.
Inspectors now have the power to come onto private property and remove standing water.
Even if you don't live in an area where West Nile virus has been observed, you may still want to reduce the numbers of disease-carrying mosquitoes. Keep roof gutters and street storm drains clean and flowing. Cover trash containers to keep out rain. Empty wading pools weekly. Drain and replace water in birdbaths twice a week.