By Tom Momberg
The city Health Department has scheduled pesticide spraying in northeast Queens beginning Monday, Aug. 24, from trucks on the ground as part of its efforts to reduce mosquito activity and prevent the risk of West Nile Virus from spreading.
The season’s first confirmed case of West Nile was found in an elderly Brooklyn man in mid-August, who was treated and released. The pesticide is intended to prevent other city residents from catching the virus, which the Health Department said is more commonly contracted from July through October.
The Health Department said it would spray a low concentration of the synthetic pesticide Anvil 10+10 from trucks in parts of Auburndale, Bayside, Bay Terrace, Beachhurst, College Point, Flushing, Linden Hill, Malba, Murray Hill and Whitestone, along Northern Boulevard, 153rd Street, 215th Place, 31st Road, 33rd Avenue, 35th Avenue, 42nd Avenue, Utopia Parkway, Clearview Expressway and the Cross Island Parkway east of Flushing Bay.
The applications are scheduled to begin at 8:30 p.m. and continue through 6 a.m. the following morning. The way in which the pesticide is applied poses no significant risks to human health, the Health Department said.
As isolated thunderstorms were likely to occur Monday, the pesticide application will be delayed until the same time starting Tuesday if precipitation falls.
Even so, the city agency advises people to stay indoors during spraying, especially those with asthma or other respiratory conditions; bring inside or cover all outdoor items in common use; and to wash any skin or clothes that come in contact with the spray.
Reach reporter Tom Momberg by e-mail at tmomb
