Mosquito Management

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – As spring temperatures climb toward summer temperatures, the number of insects climbs right alongside.

Zanesville-Muskingum County Health Department Environmental Health Specialist Matt Hemmer talked about mosquitoes and the measures that are being taken to reduce the population of disease-carrying insects.

“We have a vector control program that we participate in that is linked in with the state,” Hemmer said. “So that includes taking complaints from residents. We have a hotline (740) 454-9741 extension 300, and we evaluate concerns that come in on that. And we can either do treatments in the evening time for adult mosquitoes, or we can do treatments in the daytime to standing water for larvae.”

Once complaints are called into the hotline, a summer intern is sent to investigate the location to determine the best course of action toward addressing the concern. The agency also keeps a list of mosquito hotspots that they treat routinely.   

“Ideally, the number one thing to be done to limit the mosquito population is eliminating standing water,” Hemmer said. “That breeds them, it attracts them, and it’s probably also one of the easiest ways around your home to get rid of them. One thing that is often overlooked is small containers. A lot of the diseases we’ve seen currently in our area have been from mosquitoes that breed in small containers, not just flood pools. So looking for those small plastic containers, bottle caps, toys, and things like that are a large part of controlling mosquitoes.”

If you plan on spending time outdoors, Hemmer recommends wearing light colored clothing, long sleeves if possible, and utilizing an EPA-approved repellent like DEET to prevent mosquitoes from contacting you.