Millions of Mosquitos on the Way, County on the Case

Kristian McMorland is looking for mosquitoes. He knows they are coming—most likely millions of them. But not just yet.

McMorland, the superintendent of the Morris County Mosquito Extermination Commission, might be one of the only people in Morris County who is thankful for the chilly spring weather.

The colder temperatures means that the record rains that filled the county’s rivers and sent the Passaic River into streets from Pequannock to Long Hill earlier this month are not yet fertile mosquito breeding grounds.

McMorland knows all too well that heavy rain followed by warmer weather, as happened last year, produces clouds of mosquitoes.

So far, he said, while mosquitoes are breeding, the cold water in the rivers and pools in the woods helped slow down the development of mosquito larvae, which need water to develop.

“They’re giving us a chance,” he said.

That chance, that natural mosquito control will continue through the weekend, seems probable as the National Weather Service is forecasting cool temperatures and possibly snow Thursday into Friday.

The mosquito commission is charged with the control and extermination of the flying pests.

With nine inspectors and 13 water management personnel, the commission monitors known mosquito-producing areas in the county, taking appropriate action based on circumstances.

As necessary, commission crews spray breeding areas with mosquito-killing bacteria, assist on water projects that eliminate breeding areas, and work with other agencies to remove old dumped tires and other debris that act as breeding areas.

Information about the commission, diseases like West Nile Virus that are associated with mosquitoes, and tips for homeowners to help them reduce breeding areas in family yards can be found at www.morrismosquito.org

McMorland said there is little concern about West Nile Virus at this time of the year. The disease is a bird-borne virus that common house mosquitoes can transmit. The threat to humans comes in late summer, not spring, he said.

McMorland said commission crews are treating vernal pools in wooded areas to kill any developing mosquitoes in those water collection spots.

“There was just a lot of water,” he said. The ground is saturated, the flood plains in many cases are still flooded and in many parts of Morris County there is snow on the ground. In warmer temperatures those conditions could produce a bumper crop of mosquitoes.

As trees and other plants come back to life after the winter and begin to leaf out, they absorb much of the groundwater, which will also help reduce breeding areas, he said.

Now is also a good time for homeowners to examine their yards for containers like old buckets or birdbaths that are holding water, McMorland said.

“It’s better to search now than to find a hidden container in the summer,” he said.

Homeowners should also check gutters and clean them to reduce the possibility that trapped water becomes a breeding place for mosquitoes, he said.