UPDATE: West Nile Ground Treatment Postponed

UPDATE (July 26, 2012 at 4:05 p.m.): Due to inclement weather, Nassau County has postponed the July 26 ground treatment for West Nile virus. Weather permitting, ground treatment has been rescheduled to July 31, beginning at 7 p.m. and ending no later than 2 a.m. for sections of Lakeview, Lynbrook, North Lynbrook, Rockville Centre, Malverne, Malverne Oaks, South Hempstead, West Hempstead, Massapequa, East and North Massapequa, and Massapequa Park.

The adulticide application in the Malverne-Lynbrook-West Hempstead area will take place within the following boundaries: 

• Southern State Parkway on the North, Peninsula Boulevard to Lakeview Avenue on the South, Long Beach Road on the East and Hempstead Avenue on the West. Maps of the areas to be treated can be found on the Department of Health Web site. 

-Original Story-

To protect residents from West Nile Virus, trucks will be putting down adulticide, a chemical used to kill adult mosquitoes. Based on the current mosquito trap data and consistent with the 2012 Nassau County Mosquito Control Plan, the Nassau County Departments of Health and Public Works have recommended that localized truck treatment of adulticide continue at targeted areas in the county. This recommendation is based on the persistent presence of West Nile virus and mosquito activity at these locations.

On Monday, the trucks were deployed to Salisbury, East Meadow, East Garden City, New Cassel and Westbury to apply the adulticide to specific areas. They are expected to be targeting sections of Old Westbury, Garden City, Albertson, Westbury, Salisbury, Carle Place, Williston Park, Roslyn Heights, East Garden City, East Williston and Mineola today from 7 p.m. to 2 p.m.

Weather permitting, the treatment will continue on Thursday, July 26, from 7 p.m. through 2 a.m. in parts of East Massapequa, North Massapequa, Massapequa, Massapequa Park, Lakeview, Lynbrook, North Lynbrook, Rockville Centre, Malverne, Malverne Oaks, South Hempstead and West Hempstead. 

The adulticide application in the Malverne-Lynbrook-West Hempstead area will take place within the following boundaries: 

• Southern State Parkway on the North, Peninsula Boulevard to Lakeview Avenue on the South, Long Beach Road on the East and Hempstead Avenue on the West. Maps of the areas to be treated can be found on the Department of Health Web site. 

The trucks will be using Scourge, a pesticide containing resmethrin and piperonyl butoxide. (Resmethrin is a man-made pyrethroid insecticide that can also be found in other pesticide products used indoors and on pets to control ticks and other insects, such as fleas and ants. Piperonyl butoxide does not directly kill insects on its own, but acts to increase the ability of resmethrin to kill insects. These active ingredients are dissolved in a petroleum solvent.)

The chance of experiencing any health effects from the use of Scourge to control mosquitoes is quite low. As with any pesticide, individuals may want to reduce or eliminate exposure. The US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYDEC) do not require relocating or taking special precautions during mosquito control treatment. Individuals, especially pregnant women and children, should remain inside during the treatment and for about 30 minutes afterwards. In addition, individuals may minimize exposure by:

• Keeping windows and doors shut, setting air conditioners to re-circulate if able. Turn window fans off.
• Keeping children's toys indoors.
• Keeping pets indoors, as well as their food, water dishes and toys.
• Covering fishponds during the spray period.

Since the effects of the ground treatment dissipate in a few hours, it is not necessary to wash off outdoor furniture or playground equipment before use, although doing so will not diminish the effectiveness of the pesticide applied.

For additional information, call the West Nile Virus Treatment Hotline at 1-888-844-8657 on the days that treatment is scheduled between the hours of 9:00 AM through Midnight. You may also visit the Nassau County Department of Health Web site.