Until this week, North Mississippi had not seen any cases of the West Nile Virus. That has all changed in the last couple of days. There have been two cases in Desoto County and a third in Panola County.

While the numbers from North Mississippi are alarming, there have been 202 cases of West Nile Virus in the state of Mississippi this year with five deaths.

In a unique effort to help control the mosquitoes, Latimer Lakes Park in Horn Lake is joining forces with the local library to build bat boxes. Bats eat bugs. The more skeeters eaten, the less of a chance there is to spread West Nile.

In Desoto County, spraying has been stepped up to five days a week, as has the use of larvacide.

The hope is that a sharp cold spell could kill off the majority of the mosquito population.