DALLAS, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Clear conditions allowed Texas to begin its aerial spraying of pesticides to kill mosquitoes carrying the West Nile virus, officials said.
Four planes began spraying parts of Garland and Carrollton at 8:30 p.m. Sunday, and at 9:45 p.m. in North Dallas, The Dallas Morning News reported.
After spraying a total of 226,190 acres, the planes landed around 3 a.m. Monday.
Spokeswoman Laura McGowan with Clarke, the contractor carrying out the operation, said the planes are scheduled to continue spraying Monday night.
"The weather forecast looks ideal," McGowan said Monday morning.
Dallas County was originally supposed to be sprayed last week, but poor weather conditions forced officials to postpone the project.
Preliminary tests Sunday showed areas that were sprayed had significantly less mosquitoes than other areas.
"The early numbers from the aggressive ground attack and the aerial attack are showing some pretty encouraging preliminary results," Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins told KDFW-TV.
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