Three marshes in East Hampton Town — at Cedar Point County Park, Napeague, and Beach Hampton — were scheduled to be sprayed with a larvicide this week, weather permitting, according to the Suffolk County Department of Health Services.
The marshes will be treated with VectoPrime FG and Altosid. The granular pellets will be applied by low-altitude helicopters.
“The products used by Vector Control are registered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and are applied in accordance with the required state and federal permits,” read a 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. Human exposure from this operation is unlikely and the products involved have no significant human toxicity,” the Health Department said.
Ryan DeFelippis, public relations director at the Health Department, said in an email Tuesday that saltwater marshes are typically treated every two weeks.
“If there is a large rain event, it can shift the mosquito egg hatches outside of tidal cycles that are normally followed. At times, the division will treat several weeks in a row to manage mosquito broods. All areas are chosen by mosquito larval sampling: Vector staff visit the wetland sites and dip to determine how many and what type of mosquitoes are currently breeding at that site. If the larval density threshold and minimum number of breeding area is met, they treat via helicopter. Larval samples are brought back to the Vector Control laboratory and identified to the species level.”
