Summer’s most unwelcome guest, the mosquito, is here, and even though Mercer County runs a highly sophisticated Mosquito Control program to safeguard the health of residents, mosquitoes remain a reality throughout the warmer months.
“While our crews can help mitigate the nuisance, mosquitoes are a backyard problem, and community involvement is crucial for success in controlling them,” said Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes.
“I urge our residents to take some simple measures, such as eliminating standing water in and around their homes, to protect themselves and their families from mosquitoes.”
Female mosquitoes lay eggs on the walls of water-filled containers. To keep those eggs from hatching and becoming adult mosquitoes, residents should do the following:
• Empty out water from containers in your yard such as buckets, recycle bins and potted-plant saucers.
• Store tires indoors or away from rain. Check for tire recycling programs in your area.
• Empty and replace water in bird baths at least once a week. Remember: water plus seven days equals mosquitoes.
• Make sure drain pipes slope downward. These drain pipes are dominated by Asian tiger mosquito immatures, and this species is an aggressive day biter.
• Maintain your pool. Remove water from tarps and pool covers.
Other steps residents can take include keeping mosquitoes out of the home by installing or repairing window screens and using air conditioning when available; and preventing mosquito bites by using an Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellent with an active ingredient such as DEET, Picaridin, IR3535, Oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or para-menthane-diol (PMD).
If you’ve done all you can to control the mosquito populations by removing water sources and believe you need further help, you can fill out an inspection request and a member of our team will assist.
For more information about protecting your family from mosquitoes all summer long, as well as up-to-date information about mosquito-borne diseases, visit the Mercer County Mosquito Control website or watch our video, Mercer County Mosquito Control in the field – YouTube.