Mosquito Breeding Boom at Jersey Shore
By TED GREENBERG and VINCE LATTANZIO
Updated 9:05 AM EST, Wed, Jul 1, 2009
Break out the bug spray if you're headed to the shore, because the mosquitoes will be out in force this summer.
The large amount of rain that has fallen recently, causing you to mistake your nice home in the Mid-Atlantic for the Pacific-Northwest, saturated everything and provided a breeding haven for the pesky flying monsters.
"It is very bad," said Dr. Peter Bosak of the Cape May County Mosquito Control. "It's been bad actually very early in the season and has continued with the continuous rain we've been receiving."
Since late March, six inches more rain than the average has inundated woods, fields and shorelines. Traps have caught 10 times more mosquitoes than the two years prior.
"They just come out in clouds," said mosquito inspector Joe Yenolevich.
Officials not only trap and kill the nuisances, but also inspect them for disease. Mosquitoes can carry viruses like West Nile and transfer them to humans. New Jersey does not have any recorded cases of West Nile for 2009 and officials hope to keep it that way.
They've asked people to clear any standing water from around their home as it will help decrease breeding and keep you from getting bit.
First Published: Jun 30, 2009 7:18 PM EST
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