County To Spray East Hampton Salt Marshes, Control Mosquito Larvae

EAST HAMPTON, NY — The Suffolk County Department of Public Works’ Division of Vector Control plans to treat parts of some East Hampton salt marshes by helicopter to control mosquito larvae this week.

The application is slated for Thursday and Friday from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Should weather conditions prevent completion of the work, it will be continued on the next suitable day.

Locations planned for East Hampton include Nepeague and Accabonac Harbor.

Low altitude, large droplet liquid application is planned, with the pesticide VectoBac 12AS liquid concentrate, Bti – Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, and altosid liquid larvicide concentrate, or methoprene, used.

The products used by Vector Control are registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and are applied in accordance with the required state and federal permits.

According to officials, no precautions are recommended to prepare for the spraying, as the helicopter will be flying at a very low level over marsh areas and taking other precautions to control drift into inhabited areas. Human exposure from this operation is unlikely and the products involved have no significant human toxicity, officials added.

Patch file photo.