History
Hudson County had one of the first mosquito control programs
in the State. Established in 1913, it was originally known as the
Hudson County Mosquito Extermination Commission. In 1971, the program
was decommissioned and absorbed by the Hudson County Department of Public
Resources. In 2004, the county empowered the
Hudson Regional Health Commission
with providing mosquito control services to the county. Today the program is known
as the Hudson Regional Mosquito and Vector Control Unit.
Rationale
The Hudson Regional Mosquito and Vector Control Unit has two primary goals.
The first is to protect the citizens and visitors of Hudson County from
mosquito-borne diseases such as West Nile Virus. The second goal is to
minimize the negative impact of nuisance mosquitoes on outdoor recreational
activities. These goals are achieved through a comprehensive approach,
employing integrated pest management
principles in a program that is environmentally sensitive, fiscally prudent,
and operationally effective.
Although primarily urban,
there is a surprising variety of mosquito habitats in Hudson County. The
county is a peninsula bounded by Newark Bay and the Passaic and Hackensack
Rivers on the west, by the Hudson River and New York Harbor on the east, by
the Kill Van Kull on the south (separating the City of Bayonne and Staten
Island, New York) and by Bergen County on the north. The Hackensack River
bisects the county and is surrounded by a 10,000 acre wetland tidal marsh
known as the Hackensack Meadowlands. As a result, the highest population
density in the State is positioned in a county in which 25% of the total
physical area is either permanently or periodically under water. Tidal
wetlands provide ideal conditions for Ochlerotatus sollicitans.
Permanent pockets within these wetlands produce Culex salinarius in
abundance. Inland marshes produce large numbers of Aedes vexans. In
addition, neglected drainage ditches and culverts give rise to expansive
populations of Culex pipiens. This close proximity of so many people
to such expansive acreage of water capable of mosquito production validates
the need for a comprehensive approach to mosquito control.
Surveillance
This is the largest component of our program. We do
not like to apply pesticides until we have confirmed that a problem exists.
The goal of our surveillance program is to find and eliminate sources of
mosquitoes before they become a problem.
Larval Surveillance
Our inspectors routinely check over 250 sites in Hudson County for the
presence of mosquito larvae. This lets us know where the mosquitoes
are coming from. When larvae are found the site is treated with
a larvicide.
Adult Surveillance
In addition to our larval surveillance, we also maintain a series of
adult mosquito traps positioned throughout the county.
These traps give us information such as the species of mosquitoes present
and their relative abundance. This information is used to determine when adult
control is necessary.
Disease Surveillance
The most important part of our program is monitoring for diseases such as
West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (see the Links page for additional information on these diseases). We use
special traps to collect female mosquitoes from across the county that have already taken a blood meal. These mosquitoes are then identified and sent to
the State Department of Health to be screened for viruses.
Control
Once a problem has been identified, we take the necessary
actions to eliminate or reduce the problem.
Larval Control
A relatively small body of water can produce thousands of mosquitoes.
By targeting the sources of larval production, we can eliminate huge numbers
of mosquitoes at one time before they become adults. We use low impact
products for our larval control such as bacteria and insect growth
regulators. See the Pesticide Information
page for more information about the products that we use for larval mosquito
control.
Adult Control
Unfortunately, we cannot find every source of mosquito larvae.
When large populations of adult mosquitoes emerge, or when disease
transmission is of concern, we apply adulticides to reduce the number of
adult mosquitoes in an area. We use short-lived low
toxicity products for our adult control. See the
Pesticide Information page for more information
about the products that we use for adult mosquito control.
Biocontrol
Biocontrol is a method of controlling mosquitoes utilizing
natural enemies which eat the mosquitoes. The
New Jersey State Mosquito
Control Commission operates a program which provides organisms for the
biological control of mosquitoes to the county mosquito control agencies.
Mosquito Fish
Many bodies of water in Hudson County have naturally occurring populations
of killifish or "killies" which will eat mosquito larvae. However,
when these fish are absent, we can stock waters with the mosquitofish
Gambusia affinis. This fish is an effective predator of
mosquito larvae and in some cases can eliminate mosquito problems from an
area without the use of pesticides.
Copepods
Copepods are microscopic crustaceans that live in the water. Some
species are effective predators of mosquito larvae. Their use as a
control for mosquito larvae is still under investigation, but the results
look promising.
Source Reduction
The best method of mosquito control is to eliminate the
sources of mosquito production. Unfortunately this is usually the most
labor intensive, expensive, and complicated method. However, we
conduct many activities to eliminate sources of mosquito production.
Tire Removal
Illegally dumped tires are a big problem in Hudson County. Not just
from a pollution standpoint, but because of the mosquitoes they produce.
During the off season, we focus on collecting and
properly disposing of tires from around the county.
Water Management
In areas that
chronically produce mosquitoes, it is sometimes worthwhile to manage the
land so as to reduce mosquito production. For example, restoring tidal
flow to wetland areas washes immature mosquitoes out into the rivers before they can
emerge. Improving drainage eliminates standing water and prevents
mosquito production altogether. Filling in low spots prevents water
from accumulating there.
Service Requests
We can't check everywhere, so we rely on resident service
requests
to help target mosquito problems. If you have a problem with
mosquitoes in Hudson County, call (201) 223-1133
to register a complaint. Requests are investigated as quickly as
possible and we
will take whatever actions are necessary to help reduce or eliminate your
mosquito problems. When necessary, local Health Officers are involved
to issue abatement notices to citizens who do not correct mosquito problems
around their homes. Be sure to check our Mosquito Biology page before registering a complaint to be sure you are dealing with mosquitoes
and not some look-alike.
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