Health Dept. ofer free mosquito insecticide to residents

Health Department Offers Free Mosquito Insecticide

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Cumberland County Department of Public Health is giving away free mosquito insecticide to Cumberland County residents while supplies last, starting today. The Mosquito Dunks product is a biological pest control agent that kills mosquito larvae. It is non-toxic to fish, birds, wildlife and pets.

County residents can pick up a two-month supply of the insecticide in the Environmental Health section of the third floor of the Health Department, 1235 Ramsey St., Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The round-shaped product is placed in water, where it floats. Each dunk will be effective for 30 days in standing water and will cover 100 square feet of surface. It can be used in lakes, fishponds, bird baths, flowerpots, drainage ditches, aquatic gardens and decorative ponds, flood-control basins, unused swimming pools and other areas where standing water creates a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The active ingredient is bacillus thuringiensis. Printed instructions are available.

Mosquito Bite Prevention

West Nile virus, La Crosse and Eastern equine encephalitis are the most reported mosquito-borne illnesses that can be acquired in North Carolina.

In addition to mosquito dunks, citizens can use other mosquito control methods, including the “tip and toss” method. Tip over any containers that have standing water including tires, flowerpots, buckets, jars and barrels. Replace water in bird baths weekly. Mosquitoes can breed in as little as an ounce of water.

Other ways to prevent mosquito bite are:

• Keep children’s wading pools empty or stored on their side when not in use.
• Use insect repellent containing DEET when outdoors, which also repels ticks. Follow product instructions.
• Wear long sleeves and pants at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active or stay indoors during these hours.
• Make sure your windows and doors have good screens to keep mosquitoes out.

Tick Bite Prevention

Tick bites can transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme disease and Ehrlichiosis, a bacterial illness that can cause fever, headache and other flu-like symptoms. Most cases are diagnosed from June through September. The Health Education Department at CCDPH will be hosting a Tick Flick Webinar on May 25th from 6-7pm on how to protect yourself from tick exposure and provide a place for citizens to ask questions. To register: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/W29SYMF

Tips reduce exposure to ticks:

• Avoid tick habitats, such as wooded, grassy or bushy areas.
• Use tick repellent that contains DEET on exposed skin and wear permethrin-treated clothing. Use caution when apply to children.
• Reduce tick habitats with selective landscaping techniques, such as clearing tall grasses and brush around homes and at the edges of lawns and placing a 3-foot-wide barrier of wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas and around patios and play equipment. This will restrict tick migration into recreational areas. See more selective landscaping techniques at cdc.gov/lyme/prev/in_the_yard.html.
• If a tick is attached to your body, carefully remove the tick by grasping it with fine-tipped tweezers as close as possible to your skin, then apply a steady, gentle pull until it releases.

Please visit cumberlandcountync.gov/publichealth for more information about the Cumberland County Department of Public Health.