Experts say the torrential rains in early summer this year coupled with the persistent high humidity have created the ideal breeding climate for mosquitoes and spawned a high risk for West Nile virus.
Enter Eric Green. The superintendent of mosquito control for Passaic County is spraying throughout the summer in just about every town in the county. Green planned to bring his trucks and crew to eight Clifton streets and two in Totowa on Thursday night, launching the first adult mosquito control initiative in Clifton this summer. The spraying was scheduled to take place between 7 p.m. and 2 a.m., Green said, but would be postponed to Monday in the event of rain or wind.
Summer 2010 started out as a notorious mosquito season, he said.
“We had huge numbers of mosquitoes because of the big rains at the beginning of the summer,” he said. As a result of the mosquito influx, the department began spraying in May, a month earlier than usual.
“But then we got lucky,” Green said. Sustained high temperatures dried up standing water, depriving the bugs of spawning grounds. But over the past few weeks, he said, complaints have picked up.
The department follows no itinerary, spraying only when warranted or in response to complaints, he said. This year, Green said, the county spent far less on mosquito control than in previous years because there have been fewer complaints.
Experts recommend that residents close their windows and remain indoors when trucks spray in their neighborhoods and people should remain inside for at least an hour afterward. Green did not elaborate on the effects of pesticides on creatures other than mosquitoes but said “we tell people to stay away from it as much as possible for health reasons.”
On the other hand, mosquitoes are no picnic either.
“They cause diseases like malaria, which kills 2 million people a year around the world,” Green said. “There are also eight cases of West Nile virus in New York this year.”
So far, no New Jerseyans have been infected with the virus. Mosquito season ends in late October.
Bob Kent, with the mosquito control office of the state Department of Environmental Protection, said “regardless of the dry weather, we still have our hands full with mosquitoes this year.”
The potential for West Nile Virus is greater now than it was at this time last year, he said. “The virus reemerged earlier. We have found it in a lot of mosquitoes and birds that we tested,” said Kent. “From this point on, it’s traditionally when the potential rises until the end of the season.”