Larger Than Usual Mosquito Population in Westchester

If you’re slapping and scratching your legs a little more this summer, you may have fallen victim to the unusually high number of mosquitoes this year.

“Our tree and turf department confirmed we’ve had an incredible amount of calls from people complaining they’re outside being hammered by mosquitoes,” said Matt Frye, an entomologist at JP McHale Pest Management in Buchanan.

Frye says the heavy rainfall and warm temperatures early this season are major causes of the big mosquito population this summer.

“Standing water is the breeding source for a large number of our mosquito species,” Frye said. “In my yard there’s been standing water almost all summer. That’s ideal habitat.”

Standing water, which accumulates from rain, means mosquitoes are especially common on lakes and ponds. Also, areas near the edge of the Hudson River are where mosquitoes typically nest. To get rid of mosquitoes, pest control experts can either kill them at the larval stage or prevent their increase using biological or chemical controls.

Here are some of Frye’s recommendations to avoid being bitten:

• Wear long sleeves and pants if you are outside during early morning and evening hours.
• Spray on insect repellant with DEET (25%) or Picaridin.
• Eliminate standing water. Change water in bird baths every other week, drill holes in plant pots and other containers accumulating water.

The Westchester County Department of Health is also monitoring the large mosquito population.

“Usually, it’s a gradual build-up during the summer to peak numbers of mosquitoes, but this year we had a lot of warm weather with a lot of rain early,” said Principal Sanitarian George Vaselekos. “That’s what’s contributed to the large numbers we’ve got in our traps this year.”

He and his team trap mosquitoes three times a week and send them to Albany for testing. Despite the high volume, no mosquitoes have tested positive for West Nile virus so far. The disease typically emerges during the summer and early fall and can cause serious illness in humans if individuals are bitten by a mosquito that carries it.

Besides the regular testing procedure, dead birds can also indicate the disease exists. Communities in lower Westchester that border New York City are more prone to mosquitoes capable of contracting West Nile virus during any outbreak. They are called urban mosquitoes. On the other hand, salt marsh mosquitoes found in areas near Long Island Sound don’t pose a public health risk but do aggressively bite humans.

“Last year was a really bad year for West Nile in the state,” Vaselekos said. “People should be diligent about removing water that’s collecting in containers on a weekly basis."

The Entomological Society of America recently released an update on the virus. The organization says the combination of a wet winter with a warm and wet spring and summer increase the chance of West Nile: “We had a wet winter ... and it certainly isn’t a dry summer. Hopefully there won’t be a lot of West Nile out there this year.”

You can visit the New York State Health Department Web site and the Environmental Protection Agency Web site for more information about dealing with mosquitoes and the diseases they potentially carry.