City to spray insecticide Wednesday night on Northwest Side

The city will spray insecticide to kill mosquitoes beginning Wednesday evening in parts of the Northwest Side in an effort to combat West Nile virus.

The spraying will begin at dusk Wednesday and continue until about 1 a.m. Thursday in parts of the Dunning, Norwood Park and Portage Park neighborhoods, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health. It is the third spraying of the season.

Licensed technicians in trucks will be spraying an insecticide called Zenivex at a rate of 1.5 ounces per acre, the health department said. It has been approved by the EPA for mosquito control in outdoor residential and recreational areas.

“While the spray is not harmful to people or pets, and is routinely sprayed in residential areas across the nation, residents of targeted neighborhoods may choose to stay indoors and close their windows while spraying is under way, as an extra precaution,” according to the health department.