Small Town News

Mosquito-larvae spraying wraps up, but expect lots of bugs

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Suddenly warm temperatures were welcomed by just about everyone in the Cape Region this week - except the people who are spraying to kil mosquito larvae.

They are racing the clock to get pesticides on woodland pools before trees leaf out.

Expect the mosquitoes to appear around May, and expect a lot of them, environmental officials say.

Bill Meredith, head of the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control's (DNREC's) mosquito-control division, said larvaecide applications will be done at the end of this week This year, about 9,800 acres were sprayed. That's around 8 percent to 10 percent of the state's 100,000 mosquito-breeding acres, but probably 5 percent to 6 percent of the wetland pool areas, which have grown with all the ram.

The department sprays woodlands near the most highly populated areas - towns and suburban developments. Meredith said DNREC sprayed 8,000 acres in Kent and Sussex counties and 1,800 acres in southern New Castle County.

"A lot of people in rural areas will experience a lot of mosquitoes. We are concerned that with the extra water, we will see more adult mosquitoes than normal in the spring," Meredith said.

Many larvae will survive to adulthood this year, the cumulative effect of standing water, DNREC's limited budget and the department's efforts to not overuse pesticides in areas that do not serve a lot of people, he said.

They use the larvaecide, a more expensive treatment, because it can be sprayed on smaller areas and not sprayed directly over people, but still have the desired effect, said Meredith.

"We like to do it wherever we can, but we are limited by our resources and the weather - including the wind," he said.

So, what are residents to do? "We urge people to take personal protection measures - stay inside when mosquitoes are most active, wear long sleeves and pant legs and use insect repellent," Meredith said.

And, call when you have a problem.

"We are probably the only state agency that likes to get yelled at. It helps us focus our resources," said Meredith. He expects the phone to ring off the hook this year.

Last year, he said, the Milford field office, which services the Cape Region, fielded more than 2,000 calls on its 422-1512 complaint line. That number will probably jump this year, he added.

Meredith said DNREC spent $120,000 on the spray campaign for insecticide, two helicopters and an airplane.





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