A helicopter contracted by DNREC Mosquito Control sprays for woodland pool mosquitoes.

Spring Campaign Will Reduce Numbers of Year’s First Biting Mosquitoes

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will begin annual spraying of spring woodland pools to control aquatic immature mosquitoes Tuesday, March 23, weather permitting. Statewide spraying will originate in southern Sussex County, then expand into Kent and New Castle counties over the next several weeks. DNREC Mosquito Control works throughout the year to limit adverse impacts from mosquitoes, to maintain Delawareans’ quality of life by eliminating unbearable numbers and swarms of biting mosquitoes, and to protect public health by reducing possibility of mosquito-borne illnesses.

Up to 10,000 acres of wet woodlands near select populated areas will be treated by Mosquito Control, with a helicopter applying the bacteria-derived insecticide Bti. Like all insecticides used by Mosquito Control within the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife, Bti has been determined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to pose no unreasonable risks to human health, wildlife or the environment when applied in accordance with product label instructions as required by federal law. Controlling larval stage early-season woodland pool mosquitoes limits the emergence of biting adult mosquitoes later in the spring.

The spring woodland mosquito larvae spraying campaign marks the beginning of Delaware’s mosquito control season, which in most years continues until late October or early November. Control activities will be expanded starting in mid-April to larval and adult saltmarsh mosquitoes, other freshwater mosquitoes, and urban and suburban container-breeding mosquitoes.

Locations and times for scheduled DNREC Mosquito Control spraying activity can be obtained by calling toll-free 1-800-338-8181. Mosquito spraying announcements can also be received by email, text or voicemail by subscribing to Mosquito Control’s Spray Zone Notification System at http://de.gov/mosquitospray.

To request local mosquito control service, please call the following Mosquito Control field offices:

•  Glasgow Office, 302-836-2555, serving New Castle County and the northern half of Kent County, including Dover.
• Milford Office, 302-422-1512, serving the southern half of Kent County south of Dover and all of Sussex County.

For more information on mosquito control in Delaware, call Mosquito Control’s Dover office at 302-739-9917.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities, and educates Delawareans about the environment. The Division of Fish and Wildlife conserves and manages Delaware’s fish and wildlife and their habitats, and provides fishing, hunting, wildlife viewing and boating access on nearly 65,000 acres of public land. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

###

DOVER – DNREC’s Mosquito Control Section within the Division of Fish & Wildlife will begin its annual spring woodland pool spraying campaign Saturday, March 17 on wooded wetlands near select populated areas in southern Sussex county, to treat mosquitoes’ immature aquatic larval stages. Treatment will be expanded statewide into Kent and New Castle counties during the upcoming weeks. In most years, a total of about 10,000 forested acres that produce large numbers of early-season mosquitoes are strategically sprayed, using larvicides applied by helicopter.

“The amount of larviciding needed is determined by woodlands locations and how wet they are, and can vary from year to year, depending on location and amount of precipitation from the past autumn, winter, and early spring,” said Delaware Mosquito Control Administrator Dr. William Meredith. “This year the extent of woodland pool coverage is slightly above the long-term average.”

Over the next several weeks, Mosquito Control will apply a bacterially-derived insecticide, Bti. “Like all registered insecticides used by Delaware Mosquito Control, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has determined that Bti, when used in accordance with EPA-approved product label instructions as required by federal law, can be applied without posing unreasonable risks to human health, wildlife or the environment,” Dr. Meredith said.

Aerial spraying of woodland pools must be completed before the forest canopy fills in, usually around mid-April, because foliage prevents the insecticide from reaching woodland pools and other wet spots on the forest floor harboring mosquito larvae. “If larval stages of early-season woodland pool mosquitoes are not successfully controlled, an intolerable number of biting adult mosquitoes could take wing in late April and remain through mid-June, becoming particularly troublesome within one to two miles of their woodland pool origins, and significantly affect quality of life and human health for residents and visitors alike,” said Dr. Meredith.

“Delaware has about 100,000 acres of wet woodlands during most springs, and it’s not possible for logistical or budgetary reasons to larvicide all woodland mosquito-producing habitats,” he said. “Targeting wet woodlands near populated areas is the best return-on-investment in providing mosquito relief to the most people.”

The spring campaign marks the beginning of Delaware’s annual mosquito season, which in most years continues until mid-October or early November, depending upon when the first killing freeze occurs. Control activities will be expanded starting in late April to contend with saltmarsh mosquitoes, myriad types of other freshwater mosquitoes, and urban and suburban container-breeding mosquitoes. Following the early spring larviciding campaign, Mosquito Control’s focus will turn to controlling adult mosquito populations and reducing bites from woodland pool mosquitoes that still emerge. Residents are also strongly encouraged to help reduce mosquito-producing habitat by doing some outdoor “spring cleaning,” and preventing or eliminating standing water sources throughout the season.

“Now is not too early for the public to take action to reduce backyard mosquito-producing habitats for species such as the Asian tiger mosquito that are known to carry illnesses such as West Nile virus and chikungunya as well as possibly Zika,” Dr. Meredith said, noting that this includes cleaning clogged rain gutters and downspout extenders, keeping fresh water in birdbaths, draining abandoned swimming pools, and preventing or emptying standing water from containers such as scrap tires, cans, buckets, flower pot saucers, unused water cisterns, children’s toys, upright wheelbarrows, uncovered trash cans, and depressions in tarps covering boats or other objects stored outside.

The public can learn about locations and times of spraying for adult mosquitoes via daily radio announcements, or by calling 800-338-8181 toll-free. Interested parties also may subscribe to receive email, text, or phone message spray announcements for their area by signing up on Mosquito Control’s Spray Zone Notification System at de.gov/mosquitospray.

To request localized mosquito control, please call Mosquito Control’s field offices:

• Glasgow Office, 302-836-2555, serving New Castle County and the northern half of Kent County, including Dover.
• Milford Office, 302-422-1512, serving the southern half of Kent County south of Dover and all of Sussex County.

For more information about Delaware’s Mosquito Control program, please call the Dover office at 302-739-9917.

Media Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Follow the Division of Fish & Wildlife on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DelawareFishWildlife.

Vol. 48, No. 60

-30-

DOVER, Del. — Secretary of Agriculture Michael Scuse and Pesticide Administrator Christopher Wade are warning Delawareans of people impersonating farmers and agricultural pesticide applicators coming door to door.

In the scam, the homeowner is told that they must leave their house for a period of twelve hours while the individual sprays crops in the nearby vicinity.

There are some indicators that these visits are a scam in an attempt to get the homeowner to leave their house unattended. There are currently no agricultural pesticide spraying practices in Delaware that would require one to leave their home. An agricultural pesticide applicator is required to prevent drift when spraying.

The Department of Agriculture cautions homeowners to be vigilant by:

• Not opening your door to unfamiliar persons;
• Take notice of your surroundings; and
• Report suspicious people in your neighborhood or on your property to the local authorities.

###

Media Contact: Stacey Hofmann, 302-698-4500, stacey.hofmann@delaware.gov

DOVER (June 11, 2013) – Due to heavy rainfall Delaware has received in the last week – and with more rain forecast through the weekend – there will be plenty of surface water for the state’s mosquito species to lay their eggs with great numbers of mosquitoes expected to hatch in the near future.  

This confluence of ideal breeding conditions for mosquitoes means homeowners should eliminate as much standing water found in containers from their property as quickly as possible – and encourage their neighbors to do the same. By draining or removing items that collect water, such as buckets, birdbaths, rain barrels, old tires, flower pot liners, depressions in tarps covering boats, clogged rain gutters, and unused swimming pools, homeowners can significantly reduce mosquito breeding habitat in their yards. 

DNREC Mosquito Control staff will be going through their normal triage of inspecting and treating the largest mosquito-producing habitats, including coastal marshes, impoundments, freshwater wetlands, inter-dunal swales, and problematic roadside ditches/medians. However, Mosquito Control has a limited amount of time to inspect and treat all of the above habitats before adult mosquitoes emerge. Even if successful on every aspect, waves of adult mosquitoes will be emerging over the next two weeks from untreated yards, ditches, flooded fields, woodland pools, and other habitat that Mosquito Control did not have the resources to inspect/treat due to the sheer volume of geography to cover after a statewide rain episode of this magnitude. 

The only recourse at this time is for the public to call DNREC Mosquito Control and request ultra-low volume spraying (fogging) to reduce the number of adult mosquitoes in a given area. This includes neighborhoods, developments, towns, and individual rural properties. Anyone planning outdoor events during the second half of June also should consider this request to the Mosquito Control Section in advance of the event. 

To help the Mosquito Control Section determine when and where to provide control services, report intolerable numbers of biting mosquitoes as follows:

• New Castle County and northern Kent County from Dover north, call Mosquito Control’s Glasgow office at 302-836-2555
• Remainder of southern Kent County and all of Sussex County, call Mosquito Control’s Milford office at 302-422-1512

For more information on Delaware’s Mosquito Control program, please call the main office at 302-739-9917, or visit http://www.fw.delaware.gov/Services/Pages/MosquitoSection.aspx.

 Contact: Michael Globetti, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 43, No. 241

-30-

DOVER (April 3, 2013) – Weather permitting, DNREC’s Mosquito Control Section has started its annual spring woodland-pool spraying this week, treating wooded wetlands for control of immature (larval) mosquitoes near populated areas in New Castle, Kent and Sussex counties. Approximately 5,000 to 8,000 acres with woodland pools where early season mosquitoes breed in quantity will be strategically larvicided by helicopter, and possibly fixed-wing aircraft. 

If larval stages of these early season mosquitoes are not successfully controlled, an intolerable number of biting adult mosquitoes could take wing by early to mid-May and remain through late June, becoming particularly troublesome within one to two miles of their woodland pool origins, significantly affecting local quality of life for residents and visitors alike, said Mosquito Control Administrator Dr. William Meredith. As in past years, only woodland pools near populated areas will be treated. 

“Delaware has about 100,000 acres of wet woodlands in the spring, and it’s not possible logistically or for budgetary reasons to larvicide all woodland mosquito-rearing habitats. Additionally, not all of these wet woodlands contain pool habitats suitable for producing large numbers of mosquitoes,” said Dr. Meredith. “Targeting woodland pools that are good habitats for mosquito larvae near populated areas is the best return on investment in providing mosquito relief to the most people.” 

Over the next few weeks, Mosquito Control will apply a bacterially-produced insecticide, Bti, for larval mosquito control. “Like all insecticides used by the Mosquito Control Section, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has determined that Bti, when used in accordance with all EPA-approved instructions as required by federal law, can be applied without posing unreasonable risk to human health, wildlife or the environment,” said Dr. Meredith. 

The amount of spraying needed is determined by where and how wet the woodlands are, which can vary from year to year depending on the location and amount of precipitation that has occurred over the past autumn, winter and early spring. At present, with the exception of some wetter areas in Sussex County, woodland pool acreage is below normal statewide, and larval densities also appear a bit lower than normal. Relatively cool weather this spring is also slowing larval growth progression. These factors can be favorable for effectively treating in timely manner woodland pool mosquito production during early spring. However, all of this can quickly change, depending upon rainfall amounts and temperatures over the next few weeks. 

Aerial spraying of woodland pools must be completed before the forest canopy fills in with foliage, usually around mid-April, because leaves prevent the insecticide from reaching pools and other wet spots containing larvae on the forest floor. The spring campaign marks the beginning of Delaware’s mosquito season, which in most years continues until sometime between mid-October and early November, depending upon when the first killing frost occurs. Throughout the rest of the year, mosquito control needs expand to include saltmarsh mosquito control, treatment of myriad types of freshwater habitats to control other species of freshwater mosquitoes, and control of mosquitoes in urban or developed areas that are produced in standing water or container habitats.

 As in the past, advance public notice of when and where spraying will occur this year will be given daily via radio announcements, by calling 800-338-8181 toll-free, or by visiting Mosquito Control’s website at http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/Services/Pages/MosquitoSection.aspx and clicking “Mosquito Spraying Announcements.” Interested parties may also subscribe to receive email notices by visiting DNREC’s homepage, clicking on “Email List Subscription” under Services and following directions to sign up for mosquito control spray announcements.

During mosquito season, the public is encouraged to do its part to reduce mosquito-rearing habitat by cleaning clogged rain gutters, keeping fresh water in birdbaths, draining abandoned swimming pools and emptying standing water from such containers as scrap tires, cans, flower pot liners, unused water cisterns, upright wheelbarrows, uncovered trash cans, depressions in tarps covering boats or other objects stored outside.

To request local relief, call Mosquito Control’s field offices:

• Glasgow Office, 302-836-2555, serving New Castle County and the northern half of Kent County including Dover
• Milford Office, 302-422-1512, serving the southern half of Kent County south of Dover and all of Sussex County.

For more information about Delaware’s Mosquito Control program, call the Dover office at 302-739-9917. 

The Delaware Mosquito Control Section provides statewide services to more than 880,000 residents and more than 2 million visitors annually to maintain quality of life and protect public health by reducing the possibility of mosquito-borne illnesses such as West Nile virus. Throughout the warmer months, Mosquito Control monitors and treats mosquito populations that emerge from wetland areas found throughout the state, including ditches, stormwater ponds, wet woodlands and coastal salt marshes. The Section also works year-round on water and marsh management projects designed to reduce mosquito populations, and provides the public with information on dealing with mosquitoes, from reducing backyard mosquito breeding to avoiding mosquito bites.

 Contact: Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902. 

Vol. 43, No. 124

-30-