Delaware Valley Bracing For Upsurge In Mosquito Population
By Brad Segall
NORRISTOWN, Pa. (CBS) -- Weather experts say June was the wettest month on record for the Philadelphia region, and that could translate into a bad mosquito season later on this summer.
More than ten inches of rain for the month of June (see related story) means there could still be a lot of standing water around homes and in parks and recreation areas throughout the region.
Health officials in Montgomery County are reminding residents to check for trapped water that could be in rain gutters, planters, or containers that are outside.
"We are going out and investigating complaints that residents have, and we're also going to areas that we know actually will be affected by these weather patterns," says Steve Gerloff, with the department's environmental field services division.
Those areas, he says, would include public areas where water can collect.
Depending on the weather, he adds, it can take as a little as five days for mosquito eggs to hatch and the insects to become adults.
Montgomery County won't spray until they get positive results for West Nile virus, and so far that hasn't happened.
