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NEW CITY, NY — If you're driving around Rockland and you encounter Health Department staff driving slowly in county vehicles, please be patient.
You might even want to thank them.
They will be treating storm drains and catch basins all across the county to prevent mosquitoes from breeding in the standing water.
"Not all mosquitos carry diseases, but several species can sometimes spread potentially dangerous diseases like West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) to humans," said County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert.
Also, please try to avoid parking over storm drains while these employees are doing the treatment work so that they can access their targets more easily.
Rockland's Mosquito Control Program focuses on reducing the county's mosquito population at the larval stage during the spring and summer months by identifying and monitoring a variety of mosquito-breeding sites, including roadside catch basins.
Staffers also conduct routine and complaint-based inspections at many commercial properties that are considered "high risk" for mosquito breeding, including tire-storage facilities, landscape yards, municipal storage yards, outdoor swimming pool facilities, horse farms, marinas, and garden centers, and they also respond to complaints against private residential properties.
Concerned about a property or area of standing water breeding mosquitoes: SUBMIT AN ONLINE COMPLAINT
Stopping disease-bearing mosquitoes from being born is not just the county's job. The best and most effective mosquito control begins in your yard.
Eliminating standing water is the first step in reducing the mosquito threat. Check your property regularly for anything that can hold stagnant water.
If it's items such as plant saucers, dog bowls, or birdbaths, change the water daily.
If it's stuff you keep outside, such as kids' toys, buckets, wading pools, canoes, and wheelbarrows, make sure they're flipped over when not used to prevent them from collecting any water.
If it's just junk around your yard that collects water (say an old tire), remove it.
If your property has a man-made ornamental pond, fountain or other decorative water feature, or ponding water due to construction or poor grading, you are required by the Rockland County Sanitary Code to maintain it to prevent mosquito breeding in order to avoid potential fines.
Here's the thing: Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. It only takes a very small amount of water to attract a female mosquito (a bottle cap is big enough) and she will lay about 100 eggs at a time.
The eggs hatch into larvae that develop in the water for 7 to 10 days before emerging as adult mosquitoes that fly and bite.
Since the West Nile virus outbreak in 1999, the Rockland Health Department has been collecting, identifying, and tracking mosquitoes in their adult and larval stages and providing education to the public to reduce the mosquito population.
"Mosquitoes are more than just a nuisance, they also spread dangerous diseases including Zika and West Nile virus. We ask that families do their part by eliminating any standing water on their property where mosquitos could breed," said County Executive Ed Day.
For closed or unused pools or spas, Mosquito Dunks® can be picked up by appointment only at the Center for Environmental Health office - 50 Sanatorium Road, Building D, Pomona. They are available from April 1 through Oct. 31 during normal business hours, while supplies last. Call 845-364-3173 or e-mail wnv@co.rockland.ny.us to arrange a pickup.
For more information, call the Health Department at 845-364-3173 or visit the webpage.
To learn more about the West Nile Virus, Zika, and EEE, visit the New York State Department of Health online.
The article Rockland Begins Annual Fight Against Disease-Bearing Mosquitoes appeared first on New City Patch.