Upper Merion Latest Township To Be Sprayed For West Nile

As summer concludes, there have been a rash of mosquito sprayings in townships around Montgomery County and the Norristown area.

Upper Merion will be the latest township to be sprayed, the Montgomery County Department of Health announced. Spraying will be conducted, weather permitting, on September 20 from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. A rain date has been set for September 27.

Sprayings throughout the region have become more common as the summer wanes and populations continue to grow. In addition to Upper Merion, townships like Lower Merion, Lansdale, Hatfield, Whitpain, Falls, Tredyffrin, and more have been sprayed this summer.

The Colonial Village area and between Hobbs Road and I-76 is where the spraying will be focused.

The health department has issued several tips to help residents avoid mosquito infestations and occurrences of West Nile:

• Identify and eliminate all sources of standing water that collect on your property. Mosquitoes will breed in any puddle that lasts for more than four days.

• Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots, or similar water holding containers that have collected on your property. Do not overlook containers that have become overgrown by aquatic vegetation.

• Pay special attention to discarded tires that may have collected water on your property. They can serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

• Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers that are left out of doors. Drainage holes that are located on the container sides collect enough water for mosquitoes to breed in.

• Have clogged roof gutters cleaned on an annual basis, particularly if the leaves from surrounding trees have a tendency to block drains.
• Turn over plastic wading pools when not in use. A wading pool becomes a place for mosquitoes to breed if it is not used on a regular basis.

• Turn over wheelbarrows and do not allow water to stagnate in birdbaths.

• Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish. Water gardens are fashionable but become major mosquito breeding grounds if they are allowed to stagnate.
• Keep swimming pools clean and chlorinated. A swimming pool that is left untended becomes a source of mosquito breeding. Be aware that mosquitoes may even breed in the water that collects on swimming pool covers.

Patch file photo.