By Lauren Wanko
Correspondent
Inspectors are out to capture mosquitoes with these surveillance traps.
“We have our work cut out for us for the next few days it appears the area’s very wet so there’s a lot of standing water,” said Chris Norton, Inspector for the Monmouth County Mosquito Control Division.
Standing water is exactly what these pesky bugs look for to breed. The Monmouth County Mosquito Control Division regularly samples mosquito hot spots. Norton’s looking for mosquito larvae. Once he scoops it up he treats the area with a mosquito pesticide. Sometimes they use this helicopter.
“Some areas are just too large to try to do by hand and on foot so we have aerial blocks, sites that we treat with the helicopter,” Norton said.
The Monmouth County Mosquito Control Division also collects old tires like this one that inspectors find while they’re out on the job. Norton says they fill up with rain water and don’t evaporate quickly making them the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes thrive in warm and wet conditions and can start biting as early as April. Monmouth County Entomologist Tony Acquaviva says May was a slightly higher then average month in terms of mosquito populations because of the rainy weather. So far June has been below average.
“I don’t like to give a seasonal long forecast because things can change very quickly. We’ve been in a very dry period, populations are very low,” said Acquaviva.
In the surveillance lab Acquaviva analyzes samples found in the traps set throughout the county. Inspectors cut dry ice for this trap. The carbon dioxide attracts the bugs. This one’s filled with stink water — yes, that’s what they call it.
“Basically mosquitoes like really dirty water. The females will go in there and attempt to lay her eggs on top of the water and the fan on that will draw the mosquitoes into the net,” Norton said.
There are 63 different mosquito species in Monmouth County. Inspectors typically collect the same 30 species year after year.
“Each mosquito has scales and a different morphological characteristics that we can use to identify down to a species level,” Acquaviva said.
The findings are entered into a database. If there’s an unusual spike in a species inspectors will target that area. Acquaviva only tests female mosquitoes.
“The adult females are the ones that will cause a nuisance by biting and they will also transmit disease in some instances,” Acquaviva said.
The State Department of Health tells NJTV News there are no human cases of West Nile Virus in New Jersey yet. The county division sends samples to state officials who test for West Nile Virus, says Acquaviva, but he also tests in his lab.
“We have no evidence of the disease yet within the county but will continue to look,” Acquaviva said.
The Monmouth County Mosquito Control Division recommends residents eliminate any sources of standing water around their home to reduce the pest population this summer.