WORCESTER, MA — Worcester residents may see mosquito control crews in the city on four dates in July as officials respond to local mosquito concerns.
The Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control Project is tentatively scheduled to be in Worcester on July 7, 14, 21 and 28 for resident service requests, including possible truck-mounted pesticide spraying in limited areas. Spraying will depend on weather and current mosquito thresholds, and no aerial spraying is planned, according to the city.
CMMCP also offers ditch maintenance and treatment for abandoned swimming pools. Residents can request services through the CMMCP website or by calling 508-393-3055 weekdays between 7 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Specific areas scheduled for spraying will be posted on the CMMCP website and phone system each day after 3:30 p.m. Dates and locations may change due to weather, mosquito populations, virus activity or special event spraying, according to CMMCP.
Residents can opt out of wide-area pesticide spraying by following instructions through the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.
Worcester officials will also notify residents in affected neighborhoods by email, social media and text. Residents who want alerts should register for ALERTWorcester or update their contact information.
If spraying is scheduled in their area, residents are advised to close street-facing windows, turn off outside-air settings on air conditioners, keep pets inside between sunset and midnight, stay inside during spraying and for 15 to 20 minutes afterward and wash homegrown vegetables before eating them.
Residents are also encouraged to reduce mosquito exposure by wearing long sleeves and pants, using DEET-based repellent as directed, avoiding outdoor activity at dawn and dusk when mosquitoes are most active and draining standing water from containers each week.
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