By Marianne Dalton
Summertime on the ocean. Backyard barbecues, outdoor sports, days at the beach, walks at Deer Island, all privileges Winthrop residents enjoy. One privilege that is not appreciated is the cloud of mosquitoes that often accompany all of these outdoor activities.
How can residents protect themselves from the nuisance, as well as the risk of disease, of biting mosquitoes?
Preventing mosquito bites involves more than just swatting or using repellant. Any water that’s standing more than 5 days outdoors is an invitation to mosquitoes laying eggs. Water collecting on swimming pool covers, birdbath water that is not changed/cleaned regularly, clogged gutters, trash/recycling containers uncovered outdoors, even something as small as a bottle cap with water in it can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Once the breeding sites of mosquitoes have been addressed in your yard, the next step is avoidance. Long sleeves and pants, and use of repellants with EPA/CDC-approved active ingredients are key to reducing mosquito (and tick) bites. This also lessens the risk of illnesses borne by these pests. Avoid outdoor activity when mosquitoes are most active.
All of these measures should be taken until the first hard frost.
But what can be done besides avoidance and use of repellant? And how can residents stay informed about the presence of EEE, West Nile Virus, and other arbovirus in their communities?
This is where the Northeast Massachusetts Mosquito Control District enters the picture. The Town of Winthrop subscribes to the services of NEMMC, along with 31 other Massachusetts municipalities, for a flat yearly fee.
This fee includes surveillance, ground larviciding, catch basin treatments, manual ditch maintenance, adulticiding, barrier treatments, tire recycling, property inspections, mosquito habitat mitigation, research and development, education and outreach, and social media.
According to Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 252, in conjunction with the Mass Department of Public Health, mosquito control districts may “engage in preventive, management and eradication methods as deemed necessary within the commonwealthâ€.
The Town of Winthrop Board of Health has voted to allow requests for spraying and/or larviciding to go directly to the NEMMC, either by email https://www.nemassmosquito.org/home/pages/spray-service-request- form, or by phone: (978) 352 2811. If you know of a potential mosquito breeding area, you may request treatment of salt or fresh water pools, a non-spray treatment that can be requested as often as needed. Adulticiding spray requests can be made weekly starting June 1 to September 30, from Sundays @ 7am to Wednesdays of that week at noon. Spraying is done on Thursdays by trained technicians who are familiar with all the aspects of the pesticides they are applying. No application of pesticide will be done if environmental conditions are adverse: wind greater than 10 mph, raining, or temp below 50 degrees. NEMMC reserves the right to spray one day early if there is rain in the forecast for that Thursday. Spraying only begins 30 minutes after sunset, to protect bees and other pollinators.
NEMMC recommends aggressive larviciding to try and reduce the number of mosquitoes reaching adulthood. Spraying is actually less effective as it only affects the mosquitoes flying at the time of spraying; there is no residual effect from the spraying. Of note, salt marsh mosquitoes are day time flyers and biters; the evening spraying has little effect on these pests.
NEMMC monitors for presence of arboviruses by trapping and testing the mosquitoes, taking samples from various traps that are scattered at strategic points throughout the town of Winthrop. They send these specimens to the state lab for test for mosquito-borne disease. In the event of any positive findings, NEMMC contacts the Board of Health to coordinate an appropriate response, which in some cases could trigger a town-wide spraying.
Many people express concern about the environmental impact of pesticides. NEMMC is committed to using pesticides with the least impact on the environment, and sends an updated list of pesticides used every year to the Boards of Health, DPW and School Department IPM (Integrated Pest Management) coordinators.
The newly designed website of NEMMC is user-friendly, and has easy-to- access educational material on mosquitoes, habitat, mission of the NEMMC, and of course contact information. Please visit their website https://www.nemassmosquito.org.
Remember, the services of NEMMC, both spraying and larviciding, as well as surveillance for mosquito-borne diseases, are paid for by the Town. Why not take advantage of this benefit? There are no limits to how many weekly requests can be submitted.
Stay safe from mosquito bites and have a peaceful summer!
Marianne Dalton is a member of the Winthrop Board of Health.