FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Cumberland County Department of Public Health is giving away free mosquito insecticide to Cumberland County residents while supplies last. The Mosquito Dunks product is a biological control agent that kills mosquito larvae. It is non-toxic to fish, birds, wildlife and pets.
Cumberland County residents can pick up a two-month supply of the insecticide in the Environmental Health section of the third floor of the Health Department, 1235 Ramsey St., Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The round-shaped product is placed in water, where it floats. The dunks work by letting mosquito eggs hatch. Each dunk will be effective for 30 days in standing water and will cover 100 square feet of surface. It can be used in lakes, fishponds, bird baths, flowerpots, drainage ditches, aquatic gardens and decorative ponds, flood-control basins, unused swimming pools and other areas where standing water creates a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Printed instructions are available.
Mosquito Bite Prevention
West Nile virus, La Crosse and Eastern equine encephalitis are the most reported mosquito-borne illnesses that can be acquired in North Carolina.
In addition to mosquito dunks, citizens can use other mosquito control methods, including the “tip and toss” method. Tip over any containers that have standing water including tires, flowerpots, buckets, jars and barrels. Replace water in bird baths weekly. Mosquitoes can breed in as little as an ounce of water.
Other ways to prevent mosquito bite are:
- Keep children’s wading pools empty or stored on their side when not in use.
- Use insect repellent containing DEET when outdoors, which also repels ticks. Follow product instructions.
- Wear long sleeves and pants at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active or stay indoors during these hours.
- Treat clothing with permethrin or buy clothes treated with permethrin.
- Make sure your windows and doors have good screens to keep mosquitoes out.
Tick Bite Prevention
Tick bites can transmit Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Lyme disease and Ehrlichiosis, a bacterial illness that can cause fever, headache and other flu-like symptoms.
Tips reduce exposure to ticks:
- Avoid tick habitats, such as wooded, grassy or bushy areas.
- Use tick repellent that contains DEET on exposed skin and wear clothing treated with permethrin. Use caution when applying to children.
- Reduce tick habitats with selective landscaping techniques. Learn more at cdc.gov/lyme/prev/in/in_the_yard.html.
- Check yourself and your children for ticks if you have been in a tick habitat and remove them promptly. If a tick is attached to your body, carefully remove the tick by grasping it with fine-tipped tweezers as close as possible to your skin, then apply a steady, gentle pull until it releases.
Please visit cumberlandcountync.gov/publichealth for more information about the Cumberland County Department of Public Health.