Mosquitoes big issue in Tabernacle Township
By Katrina Grant
This summer has been unusually rainy and wet. The combination of the damp conditions makes for great mosquito breeding conditions and with that comes a lot of problems.
Several areas in Burlington County have already tested mosquitoes that have turned up positive for West Nile Virus. There has also been a case where a bird was found with the virus.
“For three weeks straight it was a real problem,” Cindy Patti, a Tabernacle resident said. “Kids couldn’t get on school buses, people couldn’t stand outside or walk to their cars without getting covered in bites.”
Burlington County has a mosquito commission that is trying to combat the problem, but there are some obstacles in the way.
“They told me that they use an extract from chrysanthemum, it’s organic,” Patti said. “Most of the other stuff is prohibited because it is bad for the environment. But, the stuff doesn’t last that long. It only last anywhere from 20 minutes to two hours and if there is any sort of rain or wind, it doesn’t work.”
Patti said that the commission told her to buy a product from Walmart to use. It is called a BTI Mosquito Dunk.
“I have to buy the product, why do we have a mosquito commission?” Patti said. “With the health department it falls on deaf ears, because they say Burlington County has the largest land mass in the state and therefore has large areas of water, where the mosquitoes can breed.”
“There was like three-and-a-half, four weeks where I was covered in bites,” Patti said. “I couldn’t get in my car without 20 or 30 mosquitoes coming in with me. The West Nile Virus spread to a bird, a human could be next.
In talking to the mosquito commission, Patti said that she received good information about the mosquitoes and the problem; she was just disappointed about what was being done to combat the issue.
“The inspector was very knowledgeable, he just had no solution,” Patti said. “They said until it spreads to a human, they couldn’t do anymore. He said the way to get rid of this issue is to wait for a freeze. There is no emergency plan for this. This township is limited in resources. We have a high tax base, no police, no fire. What are we paying taxes for?
The mosquito commission and health department couldn’t be reached for comment.