By KRISTA GROMALSKI

PIKE COUNTY - Surveillance for the West Nile Virus has begun in Pike County. Traps have been set at six locations county-wide to collect mosquitoes. Once trapped and collected, the insects will then be sent for testing to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Pocono District Office, in Swiftwater, PA, Monroe County.

Karen Batalin, Pike County's West Nile Field Assistant, entered into the surveillance portion of the DEP's three-part plan to detect and control mosquitoes that carry the West Nile virus, which struck New York last year. Batalin, whose position is funded by grant money from the DEP, has been collecting insects from locations including Bushkill; Raymondskill Road, in Dingman's Ferry; the Sawkill development on Route 6; and the Matamoras area, according to Nancy Grotevant, Pike County's West Nile Coordinator from the Penn State Cooperative Extension, in Milford. Currently DEP plans to establish more than 500 mosquito-monitoring sites across PA.

Grotevant said the first batch of insects were harvested by Batalin last week and sent for testing. No results were available as of June 19. Traps have also been set by officials in Promised Land State Park and other PA parks under the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Batalin is currently negotiating with the National Park Service to provide monitoring in their natural area located on Route 209 outside of Milford, added Grotevant.

According to the Penn State Cooperative Extension, surveillance is done by using black-light traps to collect insects. The traps are fueled by Carbon Dioxide that attracts the mosquitoes. Once drawn to the trap, the insects become enclosed in the netting. Batalin visits the traps each morning to remove the insects and separate the mosquitoes from the batch.

If the surveillance program detects the West Nile virus, the next phase of DEP's plan includes enhanced surveillance and control of carrier insects. In a press release, DEP Secretary James M. Seif said, "Through early detection and control, we believe we stand a good shot at preventing the virus from spreading to Pennsylvania."

During enhanced surveillance, monitoring activities will be increased in the immediate geographic location to pinpoint the area at risk and if more aggressive action is needed, state officials will be sent to the areas of concern to work with local governments, according to the DEP plan. Mosquito larvae found to carry the virus will be controlled with a powdered form of a naturally occurring bacteria.

According to the DEP, New York City, New Jersey and Connecticut successfully sprayed pesticides to kill infected mosquitoes and stop further spread of the 1999 disease outbreak. The localized pesticide spaying called for during DEP's control phase is harmless to humans and other aquatic life, adds the department.