General Information for Bergen County Residents
Regarding Mosquito and West Nile Virus Control Efforts
WHAT THE MOSQUITO DIVISION IS DOING:
Bergen’s Mosquito Control Program is based on a system of “Integrated Pest Management,” consisting of surveillance, source reduction, water management, and biological and chemical control. The program is governed by rules and regulations set forth by the Department of Environmental Protection and the New Jersey Mosquito Control Association. All division personnel are licensed by the State and trained by Rutgers University’s Department of Entomology.
Mosquito control in Bergen County is an ongoing, year round, program. During the winter months, the Mosquito Control Division uses hand labor and heavy equipment to clear and desilt ditches, streams, and ponds to allow for free movement of water. Tide gates and dykes are inspected and repaired to prevent flooding of low-lying areas, and water in ditches and brooks is lowered to minimize mosquito breeding.
In early spring, the surveillance and application program will begin. Surveillance entails looking for larvae and applying control materials to prevent hatching. Approximately 85,000 catch basins are inspected and treated, when indicated, with briquettes of B.t.i., or Bacillus thuringiensis, a selective larvicide which affects only mosquito and black fly larvae, and causes no harm to beneficial insects, marine life, birds, wildlife, animals, pets, vegetation or humans.
As soon as the weather is warm enough, mosquito breeding habitats are stocked with Gambusia, a small fish with a hearty appetite for mosquito larvae.
After the preseason work is completed, a regularly scheduled inspection and control program will begin in the eleven districts covering the County’s seventy municipalities. Nearly 4000 specific breeding sites are routinely inspected. If mosquito larvae are found, B.t.i. is applied. Larvae are also collected and identified by the Division’s Certified Mosquito ID Specialist. Certain species of mosquitoes have been indicated as vectors, or transmitters of disease, and when those vectors are present, the area is prioritized for treatment.
Light Traps will be installed county wide to monitor the adult mosquito population. Mosquitoes are attracted to the light during evening hours and are collected daily for identification and treatment determination. Resting boxes will be placed in wooded areas for the same purpose.
When adult mosquitoes become active, they will be trapped, identified at the mosquito division, and sent to the NJDHSS lab for testing. If necessary, adulticiding to control adult mosquito populations is conducted from truck and hand held units in response to adult mosquito surveillance, identification, and testing results.
