NATCHEZ — The summer sun can alight upon the merest of puddles to create a roiling mosquito bed.

These creatures come out at night to bite and present a potential West Nile virus hazard, but public works is on the job.

“It’s not a day mosquito,” Public Works Director Eric Smith said. “He can’t stand too much sun.”

From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. every day, the public works department starts up its spraying truck to keep the mosquitoes at bay.

Smith said the spray route is mapped out into six different grids, which take approximately one or two days to spray.

The spraying of the grids is continuous, so never more than a week lapses without a grid being sprayed again, he said.

Though the spraying is specified, Smith said it can be altered, depending on the situation.

“We occasionally take special requests from aldermen and residents if it’s really bad,” he said.

Smith said the routine began in May, and he consults with a professional mosquito-spraying company to know when the city can complete its spraying regiment.

Public works pumps 55 gallons of mosquito spray during a typical summer.

The spray is nontoxic to humans.

In addition to fighting the air, public works battles the water, too, spraying stagnated ponds, puddles or any collection of water.

He said these are hotbeds for mosquito breeding, and even the smallest collection of water like a birdbath can spur on breeding.

“It’s a mosquito-breeding heaven,” Smith said. “If people have bird baths, I would advise them to empty it or make sure the water is running to eliminate mosquito beds.”

Adams County Extension Service Director David Carter said even potted plant saucers that may have standing water in them can breed mosquitoes.

“The female will suck blood from somebody and lay a raft of eggs,” he said.

Repellants are important accessories to keep away the mosquitoes prevalent in the dim lighting of dawn and dusk.