Lehigh County to Spray Mosquitoes in Salisbury
A mosquito in Salisbury Township tested positive for West Nile virus last month and a Lehigh County man is the seventh person in Pennsylvania to sicken from the virus.
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The Lehigh County West Nile Program will spray mosquitoes next week in Salisbury Township to help reduce high populations of mosquitoes that have tested positive for West Nile virus.
The spraying will be conducted on Tuesday, Aug. 21 in Salisbury Township, Allentown, West Bethlehem and Wednesday, Aug. 22 in Allentown, Catasauqua and Hanover Township.
A truck-mounted sprayer will be used and will begin around sunset on each evening. The equipment dispenses a chemical called Duet at a rate of .75 ounces per acre. This product is designed to provide quick, effective control of adult mosquito populations. The application material has a very low toxicity profile to mammals and is safe for the environment.
Certain mosquito species carry the West Nile virus, which can cause humans to contract West Nile encephalitis, an infection that can result in an inflammation of the brain. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, all residents in areas where virus activity has been identified are at risk of contracting West Nile virus.
Earlier this week, health authorities said a Lehigh County man is the seventh person in Pennsylvania to contract West Nile encephalitis.
Weather conditions and other unexpected events could delay or cancel this spray operation.
Individuals can take a number of precautionary measures around their homes to help eliminate mosquito-breeding areas, including:
• Dispose of cans, buckets, plastic containers, ceramic pots or similar containers that hold water.
• Properly dispose of discarded tires that can collect water. Stagnant water is where most mosquitoes breed.
• Drill holes in the bottom of outdoor recycling containers.
• Have clogged roof gutters cleaned every year, the leaves from surrounding trees have a tendency to plug drains.
• Turn over plastic wading pools when not in use.
• Turn over wheelbarrows and don’t let water stagnate in birdbaths.
• Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish.
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools not in use and remove any water that may collect on pool covers.
If a resident has stagnant pools of water on their property, they can buy BTI products at lawn and garden, outdoor supply, home improvement and other stores. This naturally occurring bacterium kills mosquito larvae but is safe for people, pets, aquatic life and plants.
Additionally, these simple precautions can prevent mosquito bites, particularly for people who are most at risk:
• Make sure screens fit tightly over doors and windows to keep mosquitoes out of homes.
• Consider wearing long-sleeved shirts, long pants and socks when outdoors, particularly when mosquitoes are most active at dawn and dusk, or in areas known for having large numbers of mosquitoes.
• When possible, reduce outdoor exposure at dawn and dusk during peak mosquito periods, usually April through October.
• Use insect repellents according to the manufacturer’s instructions. An effective repellent will contain DEET, picaridin or lemon eucalyptus oil. Consult with a pediatrician or family physician for questions about the use of repellent on children, as repellent is not recommended for children under the age of two months.
For more information about West Nile virus and the state’s surveillance and control program, visit www.westnile.st
John
7:14 am on Saturday, August 18, 2012
http://www.webmd.com/news/20120817/new-west-nile-threat-kidney-disease
Reg Regan
11:18 am on Friday, August 24, 2012
BATS EAT MOSQUITOES! Put up a bat house to attract bats to your backyard or community and reduce your risk of West Nile Virus. Be sure to purchase a “Certified” Cedar Bat House. Lone Star Woodcraft makes Certified Bat Houses. www.lonestarwoodcraft.com
Cicero
1:31 am on Monday, August 20, 2012
Where are the primary citations for the safety/toxicity studies?? NONE
Cicero
1:35 am on Monday, August 20, 2012
No clandestine aerial spraying of toxic chemicals without public input and approval, which is happening now in California,Texas, Massachusetts et al. The trucks are local, but not what this "program" appears to be nationally.
vonna1
8:38 am on Monday, August 20, 2012
http://www.naturalnews.com/036877_aerial_spraying_West_Nile_virus_chemicals.html
this stuff is poison. crazy. so we will kill off our beneficial creatures (bees, bats) to try to kill mosquitoes. if we stop killing our bats, the bats will eat the mosquitoes. how about if we stop ruining the habitats of the bats and let them be our natural pesticide. but, just the ramblings of one of those crazy environmentalists.
Reg Regan
11:18 am on Friday, August 24, 2012
BATS EAT MOSQUITOES! Put up a bat house to attract bats to your backyard or community and reduce your risk of West Nile Virus. Be sure to purchase a “Certified” Cedar Bat House. Lone Star Woodcraft makes Certified Bat Houses. www.lonestarwoodcraft.com
S citizen
1:04 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012
Thank god they are spraying!!! I'd rather have a few bees and bats die than children. This is a serious disease and we do not need it in Salisbury, SPRAY SPRAY SPRAY!!!
Lisa Vacula
9:34 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012
you dont seem to understand the chemicals they are spraying, they can kill you, not just all the beneficial animals, but you too.. will you risk your life, your childrens life, and that of your grandchildren? who by the way may never be born, because the chemicals made your children steril?.. go ahead kill a few.. bats can eat millions of mosquitos a night, and its not just a few bees or a few bats, it is WHOLE COLONIES OF BOTH SPECIES... we are talking thousands.. I used to enjoy watching the 5 - 6 bats that we had swoop and swop for mostquitoes every night in the summer.. I am lucky I see one... they killed those bats...they will kill you too if you dont do your research in the specific chemicals they are spraying.
S citizen1
8:19 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
You don't know what you are talking about, DUH! they sprayed Allentown, Macungie, Bethlehem and Center Valley area. No reports of human chemical poisoning. However there are reports of a West Nile virus causing death to a lehigh valley man. So YOU do research before opening your mouth!!!
Victoria Smith
10:19 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
If you are dumb enough to believe that spaying chemicals in the air will only harm mosquitos but not you, then you are a lot more ignorant than I thought. Why don't you question what the newspapers state in the first place. They make up stories to collaborate what they will be doing to make stupid people like you act as robots believing everything they say. I bet you stand in the vaccine line too with your arm raised in the air to get a poison jab every year too WITHOUT ever reading what's in them. Sounds like you blindly follow the crowd. So sorry for people like you that don't have a mind of their own. When you do wake up and realize the chemicals have harmed you as you are getting that blast of chemo, don't cry about it. You did it to yourself.. Have a nice short life...
S citizen2
10:52 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
ACTUALLY, I work in the health care field and if you feel you do not need vaccinations, go live on Mars or some island, you are ridiculous the reason diseases spread is because stubborn people do not get vaccinated. That puts everyone at risk, thank god the public school system makes children get vaccinated before entering, it is called PREVENTIVE care. Just as they are doing with the spray, preventing a serious out break. Grow up, I feel sorry for people like you who have no clue what the they are talking about. I suggest you buy plastic wrap tonight and don't leave your house, and if you do not believe in vaccinations, please stay in seclusion we do not need anymore diseases out there.
Victoria Smith
9:06 pm on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Those who are not vaccinated pose no threat to those who are UNLESS those bogus vaccinations don't work. You work in the health field? That explains your ignorance. So sorry for you hahaha
Victoria Smith
8:20 am on Wednesday, August 22, 2012
PREVENTATIVE care is not about poisoning the environment with toxic spray to kill mosquitos. Preventative care is how you treat your body nutritionally beforehand so that the toxic environment, grocery store processed cancer foods etc. don't have such a devastating effect on the body. Being in the health care field you would think you'd know that but I forgot, they don't teach nutrition in the health field, all they teach is how to put a bandaid on things to cover it up. Hmmmm...
Wendy Solomon
11:13 am on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
While Patch encourages comments, posters are reminded to engage in civil discourse. Name-calling and abusive comments will be deleted.
S citzen3
4:08 pm on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
100% agreed Wendy!
Victoria Smith
9:21 pm on Tuesday, August 21, 2012
If you read these blogs, you'll see that you are the only one that thinks this is safe Nobody agrees with you. And as far as agreeing with Wendy and the name calling and abusive comments? Well aren't you doing the same thing. Oh yea I forgot, you are ignorant. Or is that just the pot calling the kettle black.
S citizen4
10:42 am on Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Seriously pathetic, and never did I call you a name nor make abusive comments as you did. Saying "grow up" is not abusive. Hopefully you did not die from the spraying, hahaha! Hopefully mumps, chicken pox or measles, small pox or any disease that humans are vaccinated for does filter through the township, at least if they do the vaccinated people will be just fine. Plastic wrap. lol!
Duh11
10:57 am on Wednesday, August 22, 2012
WEB MD:
Getting immunized is important for at least two reasons: to protect yourself and to protect those around you. A successful vaccination program depends on the cooperation of every person.
Improved sanitation, hygiene, and other living conditions have created a generally healthier environment and reduced the risks for disease exposure and infection in the United States. However, the dramatic and long-term decrease of diseases is primarily a result of widespread immunizations throughout the U.S. population.
Even though some diseases, such as polio, rarely affect people in the U.S., all of the recommended childhood immunizations and booster vaccines are still needed. These diseases still exist in other countries. Travelers can unknowingly bring these diseases into the U.S. and infect people who have not been immunized. Without the protection from immunizations, these diseases could be imported and could quickly spread through the population, causing epidemics. Nonimmunized people living in healthy conditions are not protected from disease; only immunizations prepare the immune system to fight the disease organisms.
WebMD Medical Reference from Healthwise
hello
11:03 am on Wednesday, August 22, 2012
The treatments will be administered with truck-mounted equipment to spray open spaces. The product used will be Methoprene SR20 diluted 1:1 and applied at a rate of .75 oz. per acre, according to the release. The treatment was first used in August 2011; it is non-toxic to mammals and is safe for the environment!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wowzers
6:57 pm on Thursday, August 23, 2012
The peanut gallary seems to be quiet ...finally
Reg Regan
11:18 am on Friday, August 24, 2012
BATS EAT MOSQUITOES! Put up a bat house to attract bats to your backyard or community and reduce your risk of West Nile Virus. Be sure to purchase a “Certified” Cedar Bat House. Lone Star Woodcraft makes Certified Bat Houses. www.lonestarwoodcraft.com