That specter is prompting some communities to prepare programs to guard against mosquito-borne West Nile virus, which migrated into the state last year. Yet while health officials are urging communities to prepare, ecologists also are asking them to be careful about how they control the bugs. Some methods may not only kill the bugs but also put birds, fish, amphibians and other insects at risk. The Audubon Society of New Hampshire plans to issue an advisory asking communities to resist widespread spraying of pesticides, to limit applications to high-risk areas. Burger notes that mosquito larvae and adults comprise a central part of the diets of certain insects, amphibians, fish and birds.
Mosquitoes transmit the West Nile virus between birds and humans or other mammals.
The vast majority of people bitten don't show any symptoms, but at its worst, the virus can cause neurological damage or death. People with weakened immune systems, the young and the elderly face the highest risk. The state is preparing to capture and test mosquitoes in southern New Hampshire where the virus is thought most likely to appear. Last year, seven of 50 dead birds found in the greater Manchester and Nashua areas carried the virus. No one in the state was reported to have symptoms.