Morris County Residents Asked to Join the Battle Against Mosquitoes

Remove Standing Water from Your Property

A very wet spring created an environment in many parts of Morris County that is quite conducive to the breeding of mosquitoes, which are causing a major nuisance for residents.

This Spring, county mosquito control teams tackled heavy mosquito breeding areas via trucks, ATVs and back-mounted sprayers.

Residents in all 39 Morris County towns also are being asked to help out in this battle. Between what seem-to-be constant rain showers, county mosquito control officials are asking you to thoroughly check the outside of your house, apartment, condominium, or wherever you live in Morris County and drain sources of standing water to eliminate areas where mosquitoes can breed.

Try to eliminate all sources of standing water, such as planters, gutters, old tires, wheelbarrows, clogged gutters and other sources of standing water that can breed mosquitoes.

“If everyone would take steps around their own homes to eliminate standing water, it could make a very big difference, reducing the number of mosquitoes by many hundreds of thousands, if not millions, where you live,’’ said Mosquito Division Superintendent Kristian McMorland.

The Morris County Division of Mosquito Control has been active for months preparing for this year’s mosquito battle, but you can make a difference when it comes to mosquitoes around where you live.

“It’s important to remove or clean or repair anything that can collect rain or sprinkler water – such as clogged gutters, old car tires, wheelbarrows, planters, trash can covers, birdbaths, old tarps, or unused swimming or wading pools,’’ said McMorland. “Even just a bit of standing water can produce a huge number of mosquitoes that can have a negative impact on your quality of life.’’

The water in a wheelbarrow can produce enough mosquitoes to infest your entire neighborhood.

The most common backyard species of mosquito travels only about thousand feet from where they are spawned. Mosquitoes spend their juvenile life stage in the aquatic environment and will go from egg to adult in about one week during the summer. So removing standing water near your home can have a dramatic impact on your mosquito population.

In addition to the nuisance of mosquitoes, they also bring the possibility of mosquito borne diseases, such as West Nile virus, which is transmitted through the bite of an infected mosquito.

“Our county team does a great job of working to battle mosquitoes in some of the toughest breeding grounds in the county but they need your help when it comes to making a difference in your yard or neighborhood,’’ said Freeholder John Cesaro, liaison to the County Mosquito Control Division. “What steps you take, or don’t take, can affect families living all around you.’’

Mosquitoes require standing water for 7 days to complete their development.

Steps you can take to reduce mosquito populations include:

• At least once a week, empty water from flowerpots, pet food and water dishes, birdbaths, swimming pool covers, buckets, barrels, and cans.
• Check for clogged rain gutters and clean them out.
• Recycle discarded tires, and remove other items that could collect water.
• Be sure to check for containers or trash in places that may be hard to see, such as under bushes or under your home.

Look very carefully around your property for anything that could hold water in which mosquitoes can lay eggs. If your home is under construction, make sure standing water is not collecting on tarps or in any receptacles.

Additional tips on how to limit mosquitoes on your property include:

• Drill holes in the bottom and elevate recycling containers that are left outdoors;
• Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish. Water gardens are fashionable but become major mosquito producers if they are allowed to stagnate;
• Clean and chlorinate swimming pools, including those that are not being used. An untended swimming pool can produce enough mosquitoes to result in neighborhood-wide complaints;
• Be aware mosquitoes may even breed in the water that collects on pool covers;
• Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or similar water-holding containers that have accumulated on your property.

It is also a good time now to check screens in windows and doors and make any necessary repairs to prevent mosquitoes from entering your home.

For more details on mosquitoes, visit: https://morriscountynj.gov/mosquito/info/

Also, check out the following videos for advice on dealing with mosquitoes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_ekfQ-F4F4 or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiQXLZnU7lA

This spring, Chester Township and Chester Borough will team up with Raritan Headwaters to offer well testing at an affordable cost. Residents can purchase water sample collection kits on Saturday, April 7^th from 9:00 a.m. to noon at The Barn at Highlands Ridge Park at 100 North Road. Water samples must then be dropped off on Monday, April 9^th from 6:30-10:00 a.m. at The Barn. Test results will be available two weeks later.

Unlike public drinking water systems, private wells are not required by law to be regularly checked for contamination before the water is sent to the tap.

Raritan Headwaters is a nonprofit watershed conservation organization working to protect and preserve the public’s access to safe, clean water that is swimmable, fishable and most importantly, drinkable. Eighty percent of the residents of this region – about 320,000 people – obtain their drinking water through wells.

Well water pollutants found in the region include coliform bacteria, nitrate, arsenic, iron, radon and volatile organic compounds. Sources of contamination include failing septic systems, chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and naturally-occurring contaminants like arsenic. Water may also become contaminated with lead and copper as it travels through older pipes in the home.

Raritan Headwaters offers a “basic kit” for coliform bacteria and nitrate for $60. Residents may also test for other potential contaminants at an additional cost.

Staff members at RHA are available to advise citizens who are uncertain about which tests to order and to review individual results after testing is complete. More information on the tests we offer can be found at www.testmywell.org. Testing is performed by a private state certified laboratory and results are confidential.

The Community Well Testing program was established in 1974, allowing RHA to monitor the health of our region’s groundwater supply for over four decades. Raritan Headwaters recently completed a 30-year trend analysis of well water tests result in the region, which showed an increase in arsenic levels in several towns as well as slight increases in coliform bacteria and nitrate concentrations.

“Your private well is an important investment that is best protected by regular check-ups to ensure a reliable and safe source of drinking water for you and your family,” said Mara Tippett, well test manager for RHA.

Residents who aren’t able to take advantage of the Chester’s Community Well Test event can contact Tippett to arrange to pick up a test kit at RHA’s Bedminster or Flemington office. She can be contacted at 908-234-1852, ext. 401 or welltesting@raritanheadwaters.org.

For more information about Raritan Headwaters and its programs and preserves, go to www.raritanheadwaters.org.