Suffolk Vector Control To Treat Marshlands Starting Tuesday

MASTIC BEACH, NY — Suffolk County Vector Control will be sending out low-flying helicopters starting on Tuesday to treat marshlands for mosquitoes in the towns of Babylon, Islip, Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southold, East Hampton, and Southampton.

The county will spray VectoPrime FG and Altosid between 6 a.m. on Tuesday to 6 p.m. on Thursday, according to Suffolk Legis. James Mazzarella.

Areas in Babylon that will be treated include its beaches along the barrier island, and in Islip, they include Gardiners, and Heckscher parks, as well as Pepperidge Hall. In Brookhaven, the areas will include Beaverdam Creek, Fireplace Neck, Smith Point, Mastic Beach, and Crystal Brook in Moriches.

In Southampton, Moneybogue Bay will be sprayed, as well as Westhampton Dunes, North Haven, and North Sea. In East Hampton spraying will take place at Cedar Point County Park and Nappeague, and in Riverhead Indian Island Golf Course, the Crescent Duck Farm, and Aquebogue Farm.

In Southold, the areas of New Suffolk, Great Hog Neck, and Pipes Neck Creek will be sprayed.

For a full list of areas that will be sprayed, click here.

The products used by Vector Control are registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as well as the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and they are applied in accordance with required permits, according to the county’s website.

Residents do not need to take any precautions to prepare for the spraying because the helicopters will be flying at a very low level over the marshes and pilots will be taking other precautions to control drift into inhabited areas, according to county officials.

Human exposure from the operation is “unlikely and the products involved have no significant human toxicity,” the county’s website states.