Mosquito Spraying Planned Thursday in Upper Providence, Collegeville

After a mosquito with West Nile Virus was found along Route 29 in Collegeville, the Montgomery County Health Department will spray the borough on Sept. 26 between 7-9:30 p.m.

Called “adulticiding,” a truck with a sprayer will administer Biomist 3+15 ULV will be sprayed at a rate of 1.5 fluid ounces per acre to control the adult mosquito population.

The area to be sprayed begins at the Perkiomen Creek near Main Street, extending to Hemlock Drive, just before intersection of Hopwood Road and Route 29 in Upper Providence Township.  The spray will extend up Main Street to West Fifth Avenue/ Strafford Avenue.

According to the Montgomery County Health Department, residents in the area should consider remaining indoors, closing windows, and turning off ventilation systems that use outside air for the duration of the spray plus 30 minutes after.

Inclement weather is not expected; however, an alternate date for the spray is Sept. 30.

The Montgomery County Health Department offers tips to eliminate mosquito-breeding areas:

• Identify and eliminate all sources of standing water that collect on your property. Mosquitoes will breed in any puddle that lasts for more than four days.
• Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots, or similar water holding containers that have collected on your property. Do not overlook containers that have become overgrown by aquatic vegetation.
• Pay special attention to discarded tires that may have collected water on your property. They can serve as a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
• Drill holes in the bottom of recycling containers that are left out of doors. Drainage holes that are located on the container sides collect enough water for mosquitoes to breed in.
• 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. A wading pool becomes a place for mosquitoes to breed if it is not used on a regular basis.
• Turn over wheelbarrows and do not allow water to stagnate in birdbaths.
• Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish. Water gardens are fashionable but become major mosquito breeding grounds if they are allowed to stagnate.
• Keep swimming pools clean and chlorinated. A swimming pool that is left untended becomes a source of mosquito breeding. Be aware that mosquitoes may even breed in the water that collects on swimming pool covers.