Mosquito Prevention Underway In Morris County

MENDHAM, NJ — It's that time of year again: mosquito season. The Morris County Division Of Mosquito Control has been working to minimize the nuisance, and has shared things you can do to prevent mosquitos from breeding in your backyard.

Mosquito teams have been busy spraying heavy breading areas county wide, most recently in Chatham, Florham Park, and Parsippany. Upcoming sprays include Lincoln Park and Montville (a full schedule can be found here).

Prevention isn't just a job for government workers.

“If everyone would take steps around their own homes to eliminate standing water, it could make a very big difference, reducing the number of mosquitos by many hundreds of thousands, if not millions, where you live,’’ said Mosquito Division Superintendent Kristian McMorland.

Most mosquitos hatch, live and die within 1,000 feet of where they begin as an egg, making prevention key to clearing up your backyard.

“Our county team does a great job of working to battle mosquitos in some of the toughest breeding grounds in the county but they need your help when it comes to making a difference in your yard or neighborhood,’’ said Freeholder John Cesaro, liaison to the County Mosquito Control Division. “What steps you take, or don’t take, can affect families living all around you.’’

In the end, prevention comes down to one major point: clearing standing and still water.

“It's important to remove or clean or repair anything that can collect rain or sprinkler water – such as clogged gutters, old car tires, wheelbarrows, planters, trash can covers, birdbaths, old tarps, or unused swimming or wading pools,’’ said McMorland. “Even just a bit of standing water can produce a huge number of mosquitoes that can have a negative impact on your quality of life.’’

Here's a full list of easy tips to prevent mosquitos in your backyard:

• At least once a week, empty water from flower pots, pet food and water dishes, birdbaths, swimming pool covers, buckets, barrels, and cans.
• Check for clogged rain gutters and clean them out.
• Recycle discarded tires, and remove other items that could collect water.
• Be sure to check for containers or trash in places that may be hard to see, such as under bushes or under your home.
• Look very carefully around your property for anything that could hold water in which mosquitos can lay eggs.
• If you are starting to rebuild, make sure standing water is not collecting on tarps or in any receptacles.
• Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or similar water-holding containers that have accumulated on your property;
• Drill holes in the bottom and elevate recycling containers that are left outdoors;
• Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish. Water gardens are fashionable but become major mosquito producers if they are allowed to stagnate;
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, including those 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

Image via Morris County