Conservation District to spray for mosquitoes in Campbelltown area Monday night

Parts of North Londonderry and South Londonderry townships will be sprayed for adult mosquitoes Monday evening, Aug. 24, after high populations of mosquitoes that can transmit West Nile virus to humans were detected in the area.

The Lebanon and Lancaster Mosquito-Borne Disease Program, run through the Lebanon County Conservation District, will conduct the truck-mounted, ultra-low volume spray beginning around sunset, or approximately 7:55 p.m. The operation will conclude by 10 p.m.

According to a release from the program, residential and recreational areas in and around the following streets and locations will be targeted:

• Campbelltown Community Park
• Lynmar Avenue
• Bridle Avenue
• Fox Road
• Schoolhouse Road
• Palmyra Road
• Northside Commons
• S. Lingle Avenue
• Sweetwater Drive
• Rockledge

The program noted that the roads listed are for reference and that other roads and areas in close proximity may be sprayed as well.

Residents are asked to remain inside while the spray is being conducted. Outdoor activities may resume 30 minutes after the spray.

“As a common courtesy we turn off the sprayer when passing by people, but this intermission in the application alters the drift of the product which disrupts a steady, even application,” the program said in the release. “This is why we ask residents to avoid being outdoors during the truck spray.”

Weather conditions and other unexpected events could delay or cancel the operation, according to the release. If it is canceled, the spray will be rescheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 25.

The Lebanon and Lancaster County mosquito and tick-borne disease control specialist and a state Department of Environmental Protection biologist will be on site for the application, which will use the Lebanon County truck under business license BU 13818.

The product being applied is Aquaduet, at a rate of 1 fluid ounce per acre. The sprayer disperses it in microscopic droplets — roughly the equivalent of a shot glass of product spread over the length of a football field, according to the release — that remain potent for about 20 minutes before beginning to degrade. Because of that, the release said, the product does not adhere to vegetation or surfaces or leach into groundwater, which protects non-target species such as pollinators and aquatic life. The program also said it applies the product after dusk, when the targeted mosquito species is most active and pollinators are not.

The program urged Lebanon County residents to protect themselves from mosquito bites by wearing long sleeves and pants outdoors and using some form of repellent.

Residents and homeowners should also watch for standing water, including artificial containers such as buckets, clogged gutters, unmaintained pools and tarps, and eliminate stagnant water weekly, according to the release. Something as small as a bottle cap filled with water can breed mosquitoes.

Program staff have been surveilling standing and stagnant water across Lebanon County for mosquito larvae since April as part of the seasonal control effort.

For more information, contact Lebanon and Lancaster County Mosquito and Tick-Borne Disease Control Specialist Lydia Mohn at 717-346-0929, 223-365-9729 or lydia.mohn@lccd.org.