Orange County Offering Free Mosquito Deterrent

Just to be clear: there doesn't seem to be any Zika virus in the Hudson Valley as of yet, but it can certainly show up eventually and it's not like people love mosquitos to begin with. West Nile, Dengue, Malaria. Plus they seem to REALLY enjoy my company. After a weekend around the fire, I'm bitten up like crazy.

To help keep mosquitos and the various nasties they bring all with them away, Orange County is offering free mosquito dunks. Basically they're little discs you put in standing water, in case you can't drain the standing water to begin with. The dunks are harmless to other animals, and help contain the larvae population with a specific bacteria.

Orange County residents can pick up their mosquito dunks at 124 Main St, in Goshen.

From a previous WRRV article, there is a list of things you SHOULD be doing in order to help reduce the amount of mosquitos in your area:

• Dispose of tin cans, plastic containers, ceramic pots or similar water-holding containers.
• Drill drain holes in the bottoms of recycling containers that are kept outdoors.
• Make sure that your roof gutters drain properly, and clean clogged gutters
• Turn over wading pools and wheelbarrows when not in use.
• Change the water in birdbaths twice a week.
• Remove all discarded tires from your property.
• Clean vegetation and debris from the edges of ponds.
• Drain water from pool covers. Also, remove leaves and debris as they collect on covers to reduce breeding areas.
• Use landscaping to eliminate standing water that collects on your property.
• Aerate ornamental pools or stock them with fish. Water gardens are fashionable but become major mosquito producers if they are allowed to stagnate.

For more information about Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases, please call the Orange County Department of Health at 291-2332 or visit www.orangecountygov.com.