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Facebook A glut of vacant, unsold homes with swimming pools is contributing to a glut of mosquitoes in the West. An untended pool means stagnant water, a breeding ground for mosquitoes to lay eggs that can produce thousands of mosquitoes in a couple of weeks. "They become these little backyard swamps," says John Townsend, who runs the mosquito-control office in Arizona's Maricopa County. "Mosquitoes move in and breed up a storm." Luis Navarro, a mosquito-control officer in Maricopa County, says mortgage foreclosures have brought him more business this year. Some owners don't drain pools when they move out, and pools that were drained collect rainwater, he says. Even a properly treated pool can become a haven for mosquito larvae in the heat as chemicals break down faster, allowing the growth of algae and mosquito food sources such as zooplankton, Navarro says. David Brown, manager of the Sacramento and Yolo County, Calif., mosquito-control office, says growing concern over the mosquito-borne West Nile virus is prompting expanded efforts to identify problem pools. Last year, 4,269 people in the USA contracted the West Nile virus, and 177 died from it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Eradication strategies: • Sacramento's mosquito-control operation has asked the Sacramento Association of Realtors for a list of vacant homes with swimming pools. Since May, 400 pools have been reported. "It's really a community effort," Brown says. "We are trying to enlist everyone." Technicians follow up, visiting pools to spread chemicals to kill the larvae and add mosquito-eating fish to the water. • In Maricopa County, the sheriff's office spots potential backyard breeding grounds from a helicopter or plane. Townsend says 5%-10% of the county's 300,000 pools are poorly maintained. He gets at least 200 complaints a week about algae in pools. "You can have one bad swimming pool, and it can basically become a blight of the neighborhood," he says. Thousands of mosquitoes can breed in one pool, live for more than a month and travel more than a mile, he says. • The Southern Nevada Health District, which includes pool-packed Las Vegas, relies on neighbors' complaints to identify pools green with algae. By June 25, the district's "green pool" count outpaced last year's numbers by more than a fourth. Many involved vacant homes in the process of foreclosure, environmental health supervisor Mark Bergtholdt says. • In central California's Santa Clara County, mosquito fighters say they can't check each pool and that people are hesitant to report their neighbors, so the county hires a plane to take aerial photos, says Kriss Costa, community resource specialist. • The Coachella Valley mosquito-control office in Southern California teaches "backyard maintenance" at homeowners association meetings. Robert Mann, public information officer, says the office needs homeowners to report dirty pools because "backyard sources are the hardest to detect." Backyard maintenance is easy, he says: "It's basically walking around and dumping any container that can hold standing water." Share this story: Digg del.icio.us Newsvine Reddit Facebook Enlarge By John Severson, The Arizona Republic Luis Navarro, a mosquito-control officer in Maricopa County, Ariz., treats a pool. Mortgage foreclosures have made him busier this year, he says. Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map.