Feiner Bites: Mosquitos Worse!

The amount of mosquitoes in the path of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Irene has increased for several reasons. The most obvious is because of the amount of standing water left over from Irene. The residents of the Fulton Park and Babbitt Court neighborhoods are suffering from an increase in mosquitos after the storm. We're told by some residents that during the dawn and dusk times of day can be the worst.

Jim Gardener from Pitt County, North Carolina Environmental Health, heads up the mosquito management for that area, and says that there are more mosquitoes breeding in the flood water in the ditches and low lying areas after Irene made its way through their area. The obvious factor here is that the areas of the path of Irene will all bear a larger mosquito population for all the same reasons.

“The problem is when you get the rains that we've had, you get a range of mosquitoes, you get floodwater mosquitoes that are not normally in the population in large quantities.” Gardner said. In the residential areas, such as Fulton Park and Babbitt Court, the mosquito population has not only increased, but caused the cleanup effort by residents to be additionally handicapped. “I can’t stay outside for too long because I get eaten alive,” said one severely flooded Fulton Park resident, “its very frustrating,” she added.

Gardner monitors the amount of mosquitoes for residential areas and along creeks and rivers through the North Carolina County. A recent lab report from the Tar River in Greenville produced more than 4,000 mosquitoes in just one Petri dish in a day, which is abnormal for the area. 

We don’t yet have a mosquito management position in Greenburgh or the County. But, can one be too far off? Not the way these two entities waste money. You can be sure behind closed doors the question has been tendered, "Who do we owe a position to?" It bites!