Cape May County MoSquito Extermination CommiSSion

Cape May Court HouSe, NJ 08210

The Cape May County Mosquito Commission has been in existence since 1915. Buildings and grounds now used solely for mosquito surveillance and control operations for a time housed German prisoners of war during World War II, and Civilian Conservation Corps workers during the FDR years. Cape May County is a penninsula covering 277 square miles, two-thirds of which is comprised of marsh and woodlands. Much of these lands serve as breeding habitat for one or more of the sixty-one species of mosquitoes that occur in the State.

While each mosquito species is unique, there are characteristics common to all. All mosquitoes have four stages of development - egg, larva, pupa, and adult and require standing water to complete their life cycle. Both, the larval and pupal stages are aquatic, dependent on nearly any type of standing water - salt, brackish, fresh or polluted for their survival. In our county, the majority of our mosquitoes are produced on the salt marsh. Here, the female salt marsh mosquito, Aedes sollicitans, deposits her eggs on moist mud at the edge of receding tidal pools. These pools are areas on the salt marsh high enough to remain dry during daily tidal -cycles, areas which flood typically during full or new moon tides, or due to storm or "spring tides". Once flooded, the eggs hatch and in less than a week complete development to the adult stage. These adults subsequently move inland in search of a blood meal, so they can return to the salt marsh to lay more eggs!

In much the same manner as the salt marsh mosquito, numerous mosquito species breed in rain produced puddles. Other mosquitoes are capable of laying eggs directly on the surface of standing water. This may occur in a permanent swamp or in a much smaller, man-made habitat such as a tire, bucket or childs wading pool. Left untreated, mosquitoes that lay their eggs in this fashion may breed continuously through the warmer months.

Once an adult mosquito has emerged, and after a brief resting period, a food source is required. Only the female bites. Protein from the blood meal it takes will be used to produce eggs. Both females and males are nectar feeders, the latter exclusively. Nectar provides the energy necessary for activities such as flight. A female mosquito may live almost two weeks, and may take numerous blood meals during her lifetime. Several mosquito species are capable of surviving much longer. However, this is primarily limited to those that overwinter in the adult stage. Ths may be done in an animals burrow, a barn, or the crawl space of your house!

Everyone is aware of the "nuisance factor" mosquitoes create. In addition, mosquitoes are capable of transmitting disease. The Cape May County Mosquito Commission is acutely aware of this potential. Consequently, a great deal of effort is spent on the surveillance and control of those mosquitoes directly involved in the transmission of Eastern Equine Encephalitis. As a result, this disease that once reached epidemic proportions as recently as 1959 now only rarely effects humans. Animals may also be adversely affected by mosquito borne disease. As the name implies, Eastern Equine Encephalitis is also a threat to Horses not inoculated against this disease. Dog heartworm is transmitted by mosquitoes and in canines not under treatment with a preventative medicine, death may occur as the worms enlarge and collect in the heart. Dog heartworm appears to be almost exclusively a disease of dogs, other domestic animals and humans are for the most part immune to infection. If a disease is present in the mosquito, it exits and infects the host while the mosquito feeds, in the minute amount of saliva the mosquito injects while feeding. The majority of the time, this saliva simply creates the itch most of us associate with a mosquito bite. The resulting itch and welt is simply your body's reaction and defense to this small amount of foreign substance.

Our Commission consists of 18 full time employees who work year round performing a variety of tasks, all with the goal of suppressing mosquito activity in the county to a tolerable level. Additionally, 10 to 12 part-time employees are hired between May and October. These thirty or more employees help carry out our Integrated Pest Management Program consisting of surveillance, water management and biological and chemical control. To explain further:

Surveillance - With sixty-one different mosquito species in the State, over forty of which occur in Cape May County, surveillance of nuisance and disease important mosquito populations is crucial. The Commission employs a network of dipping stations, so named because of the tool used to collect larvae and pupae from the water, around the county to direct our larval control efforts.

An array of collection devices are used to evaluate adult mosquito populations, from N.J. Light Traps to landing rates. These collections are important from several standpoints: they indicate how many mosquitoes are present, what kind of mosquitoes are present, (not all mosquitoes bite humans - some are strictly cold blooded feeders, i.e. frogs, turtles!), where the mosquitoes are at present and where they appear to be headed.

The Commission also has Inspectors who regularly answer complaints of mosquito activity phoned in by the public. Where legitimate activity is found, proper control measures are taken.

Water Management - Both on the salt marsh and in the upland, water management, when done properly, eliminates standing water enhancing the natural food web. Open Marsh Water Management (OMWM) is a technique used in the control of the salt marsh mosquito Aedes sollicitians, and is the result of the cooperative efforts of wildlife connservation agencies and mosquito control commissions. Through a series of ditches, mosquito breeding depressions are connected to more permanent bodies of water, for instance, a tidal creek or salt .marsh pond. This serves both to eliminate standing water, and allow predaceous fish access to any mosquito larva that might remain.-

Biological Control - The Commission rears mosquito eating fish (Gambusia affinis) and stocks appropriate sites. These fish in return help suppress the aquatic populations of mosquitoes. These fish are available to the public upon request for use in ornamental ponds, or in other potential mosquito breeding habitats. Bacillus thuriengensis israeliensis (BTI), a bacteria toxic to only mosquito larvae, is also used in a variety of formulations by the commission.

Chemical Control - Two organophosphates are currently in use. Temephos, used in both liquid and granular forms, acts as a larvicide; malathion is utilized in adulticiding from a helicopter mounted ultra low volume (ULV) system. Both organophosphates degrade rapidly in the environment and do not bioaccumulate.

Also in use is a synthetic pyrethroid resmethrin, delivered with a truck mounted ULV system.

Can I do anything to keep mosquitoes off my children?: Mosquitoes are attracted by a variety of sensory sources. Light, movement, color, heat, perspiration and carbon dioxide all serve as attractants for blood seeking mosquitoes. For instance, dark colored clothing appears to attract mosquitoes more so than light colored clothing. A number of repellents are available that, used properly, offer some relief. Further questions may be referred to the Commission about products currently available. Should a child's scratching risk infection, a physician should be consulted. Screens are a great defense. For this reason, properly maintained screens will limit mosquito entrance to your house, particularly at night when house lights are attractive. Adult mosquitoes tend to rest in dense vegetation. where it's shaded and humid. Keeping grass and open fields mowed limits somewhat these "resting" sites.

Why do mosquitoes buzz?: The "buzzing" of a mosquito is a product of its rapid wingbeat, up to 550 times per second.

Does the mosquito die after feeding?: No! The female mosquito may feed numerous times both in the course of obtaining a single blood meal, and during the course of her life time.

Do mosquitoes carry AIDS?: To date, there is no sound evidence that mosquitoes are involved in AIDS transmission.

What does the Mosquito Commission do in the winter?: The Integrated Pest Management Program in place at the Cape May County Mosquito Exterminatior. Commission is a year-round effort. Water Management projects proceed regardless of the season, as does equipment and ditch maintenance. Our continuing efforts are an attempt to suppress sometimes overwhelming populations of mosquitoes to tolerable levels, and to interrupt the transmission of disease, to allow for the enjoyment of our County's natural resources.

For further information, call the Cape May County Mosquito Extermination Commission at (609) 465-9038/9039 between the hours of 9 AM and 3 PM.

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