A swath of central Queens stretching from Maspeth to Jamaica will be sprayed with pesticide later this week as the city’s Health Department continues its war on virus-carrying mosquitoes.
The spraying will take place from 9 p.m. on Thursday night, Aug. 10, and continue until 6 a.m. the following morning across areas of Briarwood, Forest Hills, Glendale, Jamaica, Kew Gardens, Maspeth, Middle Village, Richmond Hill, and Woodhaven. (In the event of inclement weather, spraying will be postponed until Monday, Aug. 14, during the same hours).
According to the Health Department, the pesticide aims to eradicate mosquitoes in the area that have been known to carry to the West Nile virus, an infection that’s potentially deadly to humans with compromised immune systems. Areas of the neighborhoods in the spray zone were found not only to have an increase in overall mosquito activity, but also mosquitoes infected with the virus in samples that the Health Department has taken previously.
The spray zone is bounded on the north by Woodhaven Boulevard, Metropolitan Avenue, 69th Avenue, the Long Island Rail Road, Union Turnpike and the Grand Central Parkway; on the south by Jamaica Avenue, Myrtle Avenue, Park Lane South, Forest Park Drive, Myrtle Avenue, 79th Street, the Long Island Rail Road, Metropolitan Avenue and Mount Olivet Crescent; on the east by 150th Street, 85th Avenue and 144th Street; and on the west by 61st Street, the Long Island Expressway, 69th Street, Caldwell Avenue and Eliot Avenue.
All of Forest Park and Juniper Valley Park are included in the spray zone, as are All Faiths, Maple Grove, Mount Olivet and St. John cemeteries.
Spray trucks will be using Anvil 10 + 10, a pesticide known to be safe for humans when it is properly used. However, the Health Department recommends that residents stay indoors with the windows closed during spray hours, as exposure to the pesticide may aggravate symptoms of those who have respiratory ailments such as asthma.
Air conditioners may be used during the spraying, but the Health Department advises residents to keep the vents closed. Also, anything left outside must be washed thoroughly with soap and water before reuse.
For more information, call 311 or click here.
