Pungent Odor From Mosquito Spraying Stinks Up South Jersey

SOUTH JERSEY — If a widespread odor entered your neighborhood Tuesday, here's the good news: mosquitos didn't like it either.

A pungent stench that inundated South Jersey communities likely stemmed from aerial mosquito spraying, officials said. The Atlantic County Office of Mosquito Control conducted aerial sprays Tuesday evening over portions of Hammonton.

Around that time, a foul odor entered neighboring communities in Camden and Gloucester counties. Clementon, Winslow, Franklin, Monroe, Washington Township and Deptford were among the locales that could smell it.

Aerial spraying from helicopters and airplanes is used to reduce mosquito populations and prevent the spread of mosquito-borne illnesses, such as West Nile Virus, which recently killed two New Jersey residents. It does not pose a risk to human health or the environment when performed correctly with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered pesticides, according to the CDC.

Mosquito-control commissions, such as Atlantic County's, have been going neighborhood to neighborhood conducting sprays. In South Jersey, these operations are typically performed by county entities and announced in advance on county websites.

On Tuesday evening, Atlantic County's mosquito commission sprayed Fyfanon — the trade name for Malathion, an insecticide applied as an ultra-low volume aerosol.

Residents can help reduce mosquito populations by removing standing water from their properties.