DEP to Spray Abington, Upper Dublin for Mosquitoes

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection will conduct an Ultra Low Volume mosquito adulticide spray in portions of Abington and Upper Dublin today, Aug. 23.

Pennsylvania DEP Southeast Regional Office Community Relations Supervisor Deborah Fries said the spraying is in response to a mosquito surveillance program; many mosquitoes in the five-county region have tested positive for the West Nile Virus.  

The spraying is part of the DEP’s West Nile Virus control program, and is done in conjunction with the Montgomery County Health Department. 

Spraying will happen in the area between Fitzwatertown, Susquehanna, Jenkintown and Edge Hill roads; Penbryn Park will also receive attention.

The Pennsylvania DEP will perform the spraying between 8 and 10:30 p.m. using truck-mounted spraying equipment; the equipment will have the business license BU2626. 

The rain date is Friday, Aug. 24.

The product used in the spraying will be Duet and/or Biomist 3+15 at a rate of 0.75 ounces per acre. According to a DEP press release, these products are “designed to provide quick knockdown and effective control of adult mosquitoes.”

Fries said both of the chemicals are EPA approved, "low odor," and burn off quickly in the sun following morning. She said that she wouldn’t go as far to recommend that people come inside, but said some people may want to bring their pets inside during the spraying. 

As of today, 81 mosquitoes tested positive for West Nile Virus in Montgomery County; no humans tested positive for West Nile Virus in Montgomery County, though seven Pennsylvania counties had at least one human case, including Bucks County.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, of the eight reported human cases of West Nile Virus in Pennsylvania, five were neuroinvasive disease cases, meaning the disease affected the person’s nervous system. (Click here for more information on the CDC’s website.) The other three cases were less serious, according to the CDC.

Nationally, there have been a total of 1,118 cases of West Nile virus disease in people, including 41 deaths. According to the CDC, about 75 percent of the cases have been reported from five states including Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Dakota and Oklahoma – and half of those cases were in Texas.

Amanda Witman, of the Pennsylvania DEP said in an interview in June that mosquitoes are most prevalent at dawn and dusk. Witman said to take precautions against the disease by eliminate standing water in pots, tires, wheelbarrows, wading pools and birdbaths.

Witman also said there have been fewer West Nile cases in humans over the years.

“We have had a steady decline in human positives over the last several years, but it’s always something to be aware of, especially when it comes to elderly people, children, or those with compromised immune systems,” Witman said.