County Mosquito Control Targets Buzzing Beasts

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Story and photos by Joseph Sapia

In years past, West Nile virus ruled the front pages. This year, Zika virus commands the focus. Both are transmitted by mosquitoes.
No matter if potential sickness is in the news or not, the Monmouth County Mosquito Control Division, in some form, has been on the job since 1914.
“Wherever there’s stagnant water, there’s going to be mosquitoes to fill it,” said Victoria Thompson, the division’s acting superintendent.
As the division has been apt to say over the years, an inverted bottle cap containing water could be a mosquito breeding ground.
In the county, there are about 30 species of mosquitoes – statewide, about 60. So, whether causing itch or illness, mosquitoes are around.
Only females bite.
“They need the protein from blood to produce eggs,” Thompson said.
So, a reason the Mosquito Control Division exists is to get rid of nuisance mosquitoes.
“It’s definitely a public health function,” added Thompson, whose Mosquito Control Division is based on Wayside Road, Tinton Falls. “There are diseases transmitted to humans.”
“Mosquitoes kill more people (globally) than any other animal,” said county Health Officer Christopher P. Merkel, whose Department of Health oversees the Mosquito Control Division.
An invasive species that has taken hold in the county is the Asian tiger mosquito, which was first documented in the county in 1995. About 10 years ago, “it really took off,” here, Thompson said.

Kyle Cole, an entomologist with the Monmouth County Mosquito Control Division, sorts female Asian tiger mosquitoes to be sent for testing for illness viruses. Only female mosquitoes bite.
Kyle Cole, an entomologist with the Monmouth County Mosquito Control Division, sorts female Asian tiger mosquitoes to be sent for testing for illness viruses. Only female mosquitoes bite.

“Now, it’s everywhere,” Thompson said. “It’s an all-day biter.”
Because it bites all day, rather than only at night, and because it enjoys varied breeding locales, “it’s a challenge to control,” Thompson said.
Laboratory tests suggest the Asian tiger mosquito has the potential to transmit the Zika virus, but the species has never been documented with the virus, according to county officials. However, it can transmit dengue fever and chikungunya, both flu-like diseases not associated with the area.
Aedes aegypti is the mosquito that transmits Zika, but it has never been recorded in the county since the formation of the Mosquito Control Division 102 years ago, Thompson said.
Regarding Zika, which has no cure or specific treatment, no cases have been known to originate in the continental United States. The disease, also with flu-like symptoms, is known to cause Guillain-Barre syndrome or life-altering birth defects.
So, county officials warn about traveling to places where Zika is known to be transmitted by mosquitoes or advise consulting doctors about travel. Generally, the county follows the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advisories on Zika. See cdc.gov/zika.

Gambusia affinis fish are used to control mosquitoes. The fish eat mosquito larvae.
Gambusia affinis fish are used to control mosquitoes. The fish eat mosquito larvae.

Many mosquitoes transmit the flu-like West Nile virus. In 2015, there were three human cases in the county, none causing death.
“We’ve seen West Nile for many years now,” Merkel said.
“West Nile is here, it’s going to stay,” Thompson said.
West Nile virus is a disease of “summer to early fall,” with mosquitoes that transmit it dying off when a frost arrives. The virus can show up in the testing of mosquitoes before it shows up in humans.
Another illness to watch out for locally is Eastern equine encephalitis, or “Triple E.” Fortunately, in 2015, “we didn’t have any evidence of Triple E in horses, mosquitoes or humans,” Thompson said.
The primary attack on mosquitoes is done when they are in the larval stage in water.
“It’s easier to treat that water than air,” Thompson said.
Treatments vary. It could be through helicopter spraying of a granular pesticide or doing the spraying by truck or by person.
Another method to attack mosquitoes is releasing minnow-like Gambusia affinis, a fish native to the lower Midwest and central Southern states. These fish — which are released in controlled settings to prevent escape and the spread of a non-native species — eat mosquito larvae.
Operating on a 2016 budget of $1.1 million, the Mosquito Control Division has 12 full-time workers and 12 seasonal workers.
Remember, mosquitoes can breed is something very small that allows water to accumulate, such as, according to Thompson, “a candy wrapper that holds a little bit of water.”
“Another reason not to litter,” Merkel said.
Another reason not to have stagnant water around.
“It’s just common sense to make your life as mosquito-free as you can,” Thompson said.
How bad will this season be?
“It can change overnight, depending on how much rain we get,” Thompson said.