A Mosquito Control Plan Every New Jersey Homeowner Should Follow

The CDC recently released the latest statistics on West Nile Virus across the country. There have been 696 cases of West Nile Virus disease in people, including 28 deaths across the country. Two of those deaths happened right here in New Jersey. West Nile Virus is the number one mosquito transmitted disease in the United States and therefore tracking these numbers is very important to health officials.

Mosquito Control in the state of New Jersey is so important that we have a dedicated Mosquito Control Commission to the cause. One of their primary goals is to protect the general public from nuisance mosquitoes and the threat of mosquito-borne disease. It’s not all that surprising we have officials dedicated to such a cause since mosquitoes are known to transmit some of the worst diseases known to man, including dengue fever, malaria, encephalitis, and yellow fever. 

Our state and national government are tracking mosquito-borne illnesses and carrying out treatment plans to control mosquitoes because they believe it to be important to our health and well-being. But experts agree that mosquitoes that attack us on our property are typically breeding nearby in and around our own property or on a neighbor’s property. Each homeowner should have their own mosquito control plan to protect themselves, their family members, and their neighbors from potentially deadly bites. A good plan should include:

• Regular inspections of your property to reduce standing water.  Standing water, left for about seven days, will breed mosquitoes.  Inspect your property weekly for standing water and remove or treat the source.  Here are some common as well as some often overlooked places that you may find standing water:
  • Birdbaths, garbage, and recycling cans, old tires, clogged gutters, plant containers or the dishes that capture the extra water, hollowed-out trees, outdoor toys, kids pools or water tables, cans, buckets, ponds, areas around improperly positioned gutters, pet dishes and outdoor tarps.

•  Water in areas like koi ponds, swimming pools, saunas or hot tubs can be treated by our certified Cowleys technicians with a larvicide that will keep your outdoor water safe and mosquito-free. 
• Applying a mosquito repellent before going outdoors.  DEET-based repellents tend to be the most effective.  However, if you are not comfortable with the use of DEET there are some good alternatives on the market to explore.