West Nile Virus and Mosquito Control - Hazlet Environmental Commission

The information below was taken from the NJ DEP Web site:

As the West Nile Virus season heads into its peak, state and local officials in New Jersey have stepped up efforts to combat the mosquito-borne virus with increased surveillance and mosquito control efforts. The number of West Nile Virus cases has increased to 15, including New Jersey’s first death, an elderly Burlington County man.

Protect yourself and your family by remembering the three Rs – remove, repel and report.

If you have problems controlling mosquitoes, contact your county mosquito control agency by calling 888-666-5968.

Tips for limiting mosquito exposure include:

• Maintaining screen doors and windows 
• Using insect netting on infant carriers and strollers 
• Limiting outdoor activity at dawn and dusk 
• Cleaning and chlorinating swimming pools that are not being used. A swimming pool that is left untended can produce enough mosquitoes to result in neighborhood-wide complaints. Be aware mosquitoes may even breed in the water that collects on pool covers 
• Using landscaping to eliminate standing water that collects on your property. Mosquitoes will develop in any puddle that lasts more than four days 
• Maintaining mechanical barriers, such as window and door screens, to prevent mosquitoes from entering buildings. Barriers over rain barrels or cistern and septic pipes will deny female mosquitoes the opportunity to lay eggs on water 
• Ensuring that gutters are not clogged and are running freely.