Mosquito Control
DIVISION: Fish and Wildlife
GENERAL PHONE NUMBER: (609) 292-3649
FAX NUMBER: (609) 633-0650
WEB SITE
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
Through county mosquito control commissions and agencies, the Office of Mosquito Control Coordination provides significant state aid. The State Mosquito Airspray Program utilizes aircraft for the surveillance of large acreage and/or inaccessible by ground, mosquito habitat and the application of mosquito control formulations.
The State Equipment Use Program lends surveillance, laboratory, insecticide application, wetlands management or transportation equipment to the county mosquito agencies and commissions, at no cost. This is the type of equipment that a county may not own, or need for an extended period. The state pool of equipment is transferable (or shared) from county-to-county.
The Bio-Control Program utilizes small species, mosquito-eating fish which prey on the larval form of the mosquito while they are in the aquatic stage of their life-cycle. These fish are offered free-of-charge to counties annually, if potential sites are deemed appropriate for stocking. County agencies may pick up an allotment of fish in a state-supplied, pickup truck sized fish tank at the Division of Fish and Wildlife Hatchery at Hackettstown.
The program also tracks the surveillance of mosquito borne diseases. The network of county mosquito control agencies depend on the collection, pooling and testing of adult mosquitoes for the two types of encephalitis in the state. West Nile Virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis tests are performed on specimens that are collected by the county mosquito control agencies. The state program provides resources for 10,000 specimens to be tested annually.
The office provides outreach, public relations and educational information to municipal and county governments that require such assistance. All municipal government mosquito spraying permits are reviewed and approved by the office in partnership with the department's Pesticide Control Program. The office also sponsors a toll-free county mosquito control agency directory for the general public (1-888-666-5968).
MONETARY ASSISTANCE PROVIDED:
None
PERMITTING RESPONSIBILITIES:
All municipal government mosquito spraying permits are reviewed and approved by the office in partnership with the department's Pesticide Control Program. The office also reviews Land Use Permits issued for wetlands management projects.
PUBLICATIONS AVAILABLE:
The Annual Report of the NJ State Mosquito Control Commission.
"How to Use the State Bio-Control (Mosquitofish) Program for Mosquito Control in New Jersey" |
