Collegeville Area To Be Sprayed With Chemicals To Control Mosquitoes

COLLEGEVILLE, PA — Parts of Collegeville and Upper Providence will be sprayed with chemicals this week to destroy the mosquito population and limit the spread of West Nile Virus, officials announced.

It's the first spraying in Montgomery County this year.

Mosquito sampling done by the state Department of Environmental Protection revealed West Nile virus in the area, authorities said.

Spraying will take place on Thursday, July 24 from 8:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., with a rain date of July 28.

Crews will spray a Duet duel-action adulticide from a truck-mounted sprayer at a rate of 0.75 ounces per acre.

The area within Route 29, East Main Street, Yerkes Road, and the Perkiomen Creek will be sprayed. A full map of the exact spray area is shown below:

Residents within the impacted area are advised to close their windows, turn off ventilation systems, and remain indoors during the spraying and 30 minutes afterward.

The county's Office of Public Health is working to identify and eliminate mosquito breeding grounds around the county. Contact them at 610-278-5117.

The Montgomery County Office of Public Health offers the following tips to stay safe and to eliminate mosquito breeding areas:

• Wear protective clothing such as long pants, long sleeve shirts, and socks
• Spray permethrin, an insecticide product, on clothing, shoes and gear, but not directly on your skin
• Mosquitoes will breed in any stagnant water that stands for five or more days, so it's important to identify and eliminate all sources of standing water

• Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic posts or similar water holding containers
• Pay special attention to discarded tires that may have collected water
• Drill holes in the bottom of recycling container that are left outdoors
• Have clogged roof gutters cleaned on an annual basis, particularly if the leaves from surrounding trees have a tendency to block drains
• Turn over plastic wading pools when not in use
• Turn over wheelbarrows and do not allow water to stagnate in birdbaths
• Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish
• Keep swimming pools clean and chlorinated as a swimming pool that is left untended becomes a source of mosquito breeding