Mosquito control is a very important program for our community and for Brunswick County.
This is due to the potential 
for spreading diseases such as West Nile virus and Eastern Equine Encephalitis. Although recently enacted laws have withdrawn funding assistance from the State, our County Commissioners have interceded to help safeguard the health of citizens by creating a local funding assistance program. BSL has successfully applied for this assistance, and will receive almost $1,000 for purchasing some of our repellent products.
The Brunswick County staff of Mosquito Control experts has also been a fantastic resource for the City, and they can help answer many technical questions. They can be reached at 910-253-2507
Controlling mosquitoes is not as simple as spraying! It requires a technically balanced and focused effort, including cooperation from the citizens of BSL. Each time we have a rainfall event, new mosquito populations are hatched. So it is critical that everyone "Tip and Toss" any containers that hold water outside, and sometimes inside the house.
Let's talk about some of the facts
- There are approximately 45 types of mosquitos in Brunswick County
- Mosquitos need blood in order to produce eggs
- One female can lay up to 500 eggs in her lifetime.
- Average life expectancy is 3 weeks
- Eggs are not harmed by cold or dry weather
- The "Asian Tiger" mosquito (see the photo) spread to our country from Japan in the 1980's. They were hatched from puddles inside used tires, and are now prevalent in the eastern U.S.
- The Asian Tiger likes to bite in the daytime!
Our Program
That last fact demonstrates why it is not sufficient to just conduct spraying in the evening. The overall program must address a balanced attack with several components. The County staff has helped us with reconnaissance and identification of mosquitoes, but the education of you (our citizens) is another major component of the program. It can have a profound effect on the size of our mosquito population.
Mosquitoes often lay their eggs within one (1) inch of the waterline. Those eggs can remain viable for 7 to 10 years, so every time it rains a new hatch is born! That's why it is so helpful to minimize their potential by "Tipping and Tossing" any water on your property. This can include water in tires, tin cans, buckets, bird baths, and clogged gutters, and in natural openings in trees and rocks. For trapped water in downspouts and gutters, some inexpensive tablet products (sold at retail and home improvement stores) are available to insert in gutters and improve conditions.
As for our storm drainage system, the City's Public Works Department can typically only conduct work in the public right-of-way (the roadway system) and does not enter private property. We will however visit your property and help you identify sources of mosquito hatching, and make recommendations.
Chemical repellents are generally classified as "adulticides" and "larvicides", to kill both the flying adults and egg/larve/pupa stages respectively. As explained earlier, spraying in the evening has little impact on daytime mosquitoes, so an effective program requires a larvicide component. The design of the BSL program in 2015 will include:
- Barrier Spraying – along significant wooded areas near public spaces (such as at the Community Center) to minimize spread of hatching
- Larvicide application – in wet ditch systems and other open public wet areas, to attack and minimize the hatch of larva and pupa.
- Adulticide Spraying with our Ultra Low Volume (ULV) cold foggers on trucks in the evening, to reduce the flying population.
Because this program can have such an adverse impact on the health of our community, we ask for your help in "tipping and tossing" any containers, and supporting our efforts.
If you have any questions, you can contact the Public Works Department at 910-363-0096