Two clusters of Queens communities will be the latest battlegrounds in the city’s war on mosquitoes this Tuesday night.
The city’s Health Department announced that trucks will spray pesticides in areas of western Queens and eastern Brooklyn beginning at 8:30 p.m. on Aug. 21 and continuing until 6 a.m. the following morning. (In the event of inclement weather, the spraying will be postponed until the evening of Aug. 22 and will be conducted during the same hours.)
It’s the eighth time this year that the city’s Health Department will conduct pesticide spraying in parts of New York City as part of an ongoing effort to eradicate mosquitoes that may carry the West Nile virus. Mosquitoes have been particularly prolific across Queens this summer, and many samples of the parasite which the Health Department collected and tested were found to be infected with the disease.
Trucks will use a very low concentration of Anvil 10+10; while it poses little threat to human or pet health, anyone particularly sensitive to the spray may experience short-term eye or throat irritation, or a rash. The Health Department advises anyone in the spray zones to remain indoors with the windows closed during spraying (air conditioners may be used, but you should either close the vents or utilize the recirculate option to avoid indoor exposure).
The Queens spray zones are as follows:
- Northwest Queens: Areas of Long Island City, Maspeth, Ridgewood, Sunnyside and Woodside generally bounded on the north by 49th Avenue, Skillman Avenue and Queens Boulevard; on the east by 69th Street; and on the south by Grand and Flushing Avenues (the zone extends west across the Brooklyn/Queens border into Bushwick, Greenpoint and southern Williamsburg, Brooklyn).
- Southwest Queens: Areas of Howard Beach, Lindenwood, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park and Woodhaven generally bounded on the north by Rockaway Boulevard; on the east by Lefferts Boulevard and Bergen Basin; and on the south by Jamaica Bay (the zone extends west across the Brooklyn/Queens border into City Line and Cypress Hills, Brooklyn).
Anything left outside during the spraying should be thoroughly washed with soap and water before reuse. If you’re exposed to the pesticide, be sure to wash your clothes and skin with soap and water.
Visit the Health Department’s website or call 311 for further information about the war on mosquitoes in Queens.
Do your part to protect yourselves against mosquitoes this summer. Remember to drain any standing water on your property and, when outside, to use an approved insect repellant containing DEET, picardin, oil of lemon eucalyptus (except for children 3 years of age and under) or the active ingredient IR3535. Keep all swimming pools chlorinated, or covered when not in use.
