Aerial spraying for mosquito larvae scheduled this week from Tuesday through Thursday

The Suffolk County Vector Control Division will be spraying larvicide for mosquito control in seven locations in the Town of Riverhead and one location in Flanders between Tuesday and Thursday this week, according to a press release issued by the county health department Monday afternoon.

Marshes at Indian Island, Overlook, Aquebogue Farm, Millar Farm, Crescent Duck Farm, Union Avenue and Pier Avenue in the Town of Riverhead and Iron Point in Flanders are scheduled for treatment.

Marshes at New Suffolk, Great Hog Neck, Kerwin Boulevard, Pipes Neck Creek, Pipes Cove and Point O’Woods in the Town of Southold are also scheduled for larvicide application.

Additional locations scheduled for spraying in the towns of Babylon, Brookhaven, Southampton and East Hampton are listed on the county’s website.

The areas will be treated with VectoPrime FG, a fine granule biological larvicide. Its active ingredients are Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis and Altosid (Methoprene) EPA# 73049-501. More information. 

The application will be made by low-altitude helicopter, between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. at some time between Tuesday and Thursday, the health department said. Should weather prevent completion of the work, it will be continued on the next suitable day. 

The products used by Suffolk County vector control are registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and are applied in accordance with the required state and federal permits, according to the press release.

No precautions are recommended to prepare for this spraying, as the helicopter will be flying at a very low level over marsh areas and taking other precautions to control drift into inhabited areas, the health department said. Human exposure from this operation is unlikely and the products involved have no significant human toxicity, the department said in the release.