Mosquito relief in sight for Lenoir County

Interim Lenoir County Manager Joey Bryan has some good news: Mosquito spraying in Lenoir County is scheduled to begin Tuesday, Oct. 9. As long as there is no rain, the spraying will continue for four or five days and cover 400 miles of roadways in the county.

Spraying will be done during the evening between dusk and dawn. Residents will be able to recognize the trucks involved with the spraying because they will have the Clegg’s Pest Control logo on the sides of the vehicles. The trucks are equipped with fogging machines that eject a mist about 150 feet from each side of the sprayer. If there is a breeze or wind, the spray could drift over a larger area. 

The chemical being sprayed is called Kontrol 4-4. Phillip Clegg, vice president of the company, explained his staff has been trained and licensed by the state of North Carolina and will be applying the chemical according to the label directions. 

When the product is applied according to the label, it does not harm people, pets, plants, or the environment. However, if people are concerned, they should stay inside for 30 minutes if they see the trucks spraying in their area. 

For safety reasons, people should avoid being directly sprayed and should stay away from the trucks, which will be traveling at a slower speed than normal traffic.

This spraying is targeting adult mosquitoes, according to Pamela Brown, Lenoir County Health Director. If residents are concerned about mosquito larvae, the Health Department has a limited supply of mosquito dunks available that people can toss into smaller areas of standing water to kill the mosquitoes before they become adults. These dunks are free of charge while supplies last. 

Lenoir County residents can reduce the number of mosquitoes around their homes by getting rid of any standing water. Check trash cans, toys, gutters, rain pipes, plant saucers, tarps, boats or bottle caps for any amount of water to eliminate mosquito breeding areas. 

For questions or concerns about the spraying, please call the Lenoir County Health Department at 252-526-4200.  While supplies last, the mosquito dunks can be picked up from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday, at the Health Department (201 North McLewean Street) or the Environmental Health office (101 North Queen Street) in Kinston.