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BETHLEHEM (Apr 4)
– State Senator Lisa Boscola announced
today that $277,982 will be awarded to
assist Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton
Counties monitor and control the West
Nile Virus. Funding for Pennsylvania’s
2007 Mosquito Surveillance Program, so
entitled due to the fact that West Nile
Virus is spread by mosquitoes, is
included in Governor Rendell’s proposed
budget and will be administered through
the Department of Environmental
Protection.
“I am glad to see such an
aggressive approach being taken across
this Commonwealth to help curb the
number of human cases of West Nile
Virus,” Boscola said. “One of the most
important things for homeowners to do to
decrease their risks is to ‘Dump it,
drain it, treat it,’ to get rid of
standing water on your property.”
Through the funding
provided environmentally sensitive
materials are used to control the
mosquito population. For killing larvae,
which is the major method of mosquito
control, the naturally-occurring
bacteria Bti and Bsph are used. These
bacteria attack the digestive system of
the mosquito larvae, and have no effect
on people, animals, plants, or other
insects. The other larval control
product is the insect hormone methoprene
that prevents the mosquito larvae from
developing into adults. The products
used to kill adult mosquitoes likewise
are selected based on their
environmental sensitivity and are
applied so they do not harm people,
animals or plants.
Below is the list of 2007
Mosquito Surveillance grants awarded:
For additional questions
regarding the Mosquito Surveillance
Program, please feel free to contact
Senator Boscola’s office in Lehigh
County (610) 266-2117, Monroe County
(570) 420-2938 or Northampton County
(610) 868-8667.
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