OFFICE OF MOSQUITO CONTROL

Salt marsh surveillance
In the photo above, a helicopter is used to inspect otherwise inaccessible mosquito breeding areas on Atlantic County's 40,000 acres of tidal salt marsh. This improves the training, targeting and effectiveness of pesticide application to control mosquitoes.

In this image, an employee of the Office of Mosquito Control is "dipping", checking a culvert for signs of mosquito breeding.

Through an aggressive surveillance program the county concentrates on controlling mosquitoes in their larval, or aquatic stage, prior to their emergence and dispersal as adults in search of a blood meal. In this stage the control agent, either a chemical or biological insecticide, or mosquito predacious fish is applied directly to the source of the mosquitoes.

Complaints from the public
An important part of the surveillance aspect of the county's mosquito control program are complaints from the public. When complaints are received specific questions are asked, such as "what time are the mosquitoes biting the most?" or "are there any known bodies of standing water near-by?". Results of these and other questions help the inspector locate the source of the mosquitoes, which can then be controlled using the best control alternative, depending on the specific situation.
Email the Mosquito Control Unit

New Jersey Light Trap
William Reinert, Director of the Atlantic County Mosquito Control Unit, presented a paper at the Seventy-Sixth Annual Meeting of the New Jersey Mosquito Control Association, Inc.

Abstract of the presentation: The New Jersey Light Trap is an important supplement for adult mosquito surveillance but because of differences that occur in the behavior of individual species it is important to recognize that there are factors that influence the reliability of the light trap for adult mosquito surveillance. This paper discusses the use of the New Jersey Light Trap and sets forth guidelines for its use to minimize variation in light trap data for mosquito management.

Link to Mr. Reinert's presentation

Larval surveillance involves sampling a wide range of aquatic habitats for the presence of pest species during their developmental stages. Atlantic County has a team of inspectors that collect larval specimens on a regular basis.

Larval Surveillance

A mosquito identification specialist normally has the task of identifying the various larval species. Properly trained mosquito identification specialists can separate mosquito species that cause nuisance and disease from those that are non-pests or beneficial species. Responsible control programs target pest populations for control and avoid managing habitat that supports benign species.

Adult Surveillance
Adult surveillance measures mosquito populations that have successfully developed and emerged from aquatic habitats. The New Jersey light trap (see link above) has been the standard for collecting adult mosquitoes. Most county agencies operate these traps from early May through October. Portable traps bailed with carbon dioxide are useful in areas where electricity is not available.

Not all mosquitoes are attracted to light; therefore, other forms of adult surveillance are frequently employed. In certain areas, landing rates' or 'bite counts' are used to assess the comparative size of host seeking mosquito populations.

Resting boxes are used to measure populations of Culiseta melanura, a bird-feeding mosquito that functions in the amplification of eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus. Gravid traps are employed to measure Culex mosquitoes that amplify St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) virus and West Nile virus. (WNV)

Disease Surveillance
Since 1975, the State Mosquito Control Commission has funded a virus surveillance program that measures the size of disease-carrying mosquito populations during the summer season. Specimens are tested for virus on a weekly basis. Mosquito collections are made at permanent study sites by staff from the Nev Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES). A wide range of assistance and support is provided by local mosquito control agencies in this effort. Mosquitoes are tested for virus at the NJDHSS laboratories by immunoflourescent antibody (IFA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. With the emergence of WNV as a concern, wild birds (especially crows) will also be monitored and 'sentinel' chicken flocks will be placed it each county and their blood tested for WNV. Such surveillance programs provide( an early warning system for detecting mosquito-borne viruses. When detected control measures can be enhanced to prevent any human infections.