“It’s not just that it’s been wet, but the cooler weather is giving mosquitos more time to develop. So, we’re seeing more mosquitos, and they are bigger than usual,” said Bob Kent, administrator of the state’s Office of Mosquito Control Coordination.
But neither Kent nor other mosquito fighters are about to cede control of the state to Aedes Vexans, or any of the other approximately 40 species of mosquito that live in New Jersey. They are working overtime to prevent larvae from hatching and trying to exterminate those that have made it to adulthood.
In Morris and Essex counties, crews have sprayed hundreds of acres from the air in the mosquito-prone Passaic River flood plain, while sending crews out on foot and in all-terrain vehicles to spray hard-to-reach areas known as prime mosquito habitats.
Mark Vlazny, biologist for the Morris County Mosquito Extermination Commission, joined Ron Foster, a senior inspector with the agency, to set up operations today in a wooded area of East Hanover, near the Essex County border, suspected of being a mosquito hot spot.
To check it out, Foster walked in the tall grass along the edge of the woods. He immediately caused a stir in the mosquito population and was surrounded by a thick swarm of newly born muskies.
“This is one of the worst months for mosquitos I’ve ever seen,” said Vlazny, as he observed the attack on Foster, and promised a quick response.
Of course, we’re also told that global warming will cause an increase in mosquito-borne diseases. Either way, it looks like the bloodsuckers are going to win.
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