War On Mosquitoes Declared In Hartford

Press release from the City of Hartford:

HARTFORD, CT — Hartford has declared war on blood-sucking flying insects as local leaders recently announced its intentions to target areas of the city prone to excess mosquitoes.

The City of Hartford Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced last week that is has applied mosquito control services in high breeding sites in Hartford in an effort to reduce mosquito activity.

The city has placed treatment in catch basins to control adult mosquito populations in storm drains throughout Hartford and throughout Keney Park over the last few weeks.

The city’s catch basins are treated twice over the summer.

The All Habitat Services larvicide program includes regular inspections of high breeding site locations.

For this specific program, technicians use three main indicators to determine mosquito activity: the number of larvae; mosquito stage(s); and the landing rate.

Dippers are used to sample standing water to assess the stage of the mosquito as well as the number of larvae present.

If there is evidence of breeding, the technician applies granular larvicide to that site to curb mosquito breeding activity.

Scooting, or catch basin work, is another part of the municipal mosquito program.

Mosquito field technicians ride throughout the city on scooters and apply a handful of larvicide into all accessible catch basins.

While not all mosquitoes carry diseases, the City of Hartford Department of Health and Human Services suggests residents take precautions to minimize their exposure to mosquito bites.

These measures include:

• Wear long, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing.
• Wear insect repellents according to product labels.
• Avoid mosquito infested areas during prime periods of activity (between dusk and dawn).
• Install, inspect and repair window and door screens in homes and stables.
• Regularly clean bird baths and bowls for pet food and water.
• Remove or empty all water-holding containers.

Everyone is encouraged to follow the City of Hartford’s Department of Health & Human Services Facebook on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HartfordHealth/ and Twitter at https://twitter.com/hartfordhealth. For more information, call the City of Hartford Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) at 860-757-4700.

This press release was produced by the City of Hartford. The views expressed here are the author’s own.