New Castle County mosquito fine squashed

A push to give New Castle County government the ability to fine property owners who have a mosquito-breeding habitat on their property has been abandoned. 

County Councilman David Tackett has withdrawn legislation that initially would have given officials the ability to assess a $50 fine to property owners who had small pools of stagnant water on their land. Tackett said he dropped the plan after backlash from backyard gardeners and others who felt the fines were heavy-handed. 

"They were very concerned about the legislation that this was equipping code enforcement to start fining the gardener hobbyist or the little old lady that takes care of flowers in the backyard but doesn't get the drainage pots emptied on a regular basis," Tackett said. 

The legislation was aimed at limiting the mosquito population and was motivated by fears of an outbreak like the Zika virus. Tackett said current county code does not address property owners having trash, debris or other items that allow the formation of shallow stagnant pools of water where mosquitoes lay eggs, but that he didn't want it to punish backyard gardeners.

Though the legislation is now dead, Tackett said he expects the county's Code Enforcement Department to take a more aggressive role within existing property maintenance rules to address mosquito larvae habitat. 

Department of Land Use Acting General Manager George Haggerty said the legislation led officials to explore how existing laws could address the problem, particularly with abandoned swimming pools.

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"We examined how we could use the law more effectively," Haggerty said. 

But that won't include fines for things like bird baths, Tackett said. He said code enforcement officers will now help with raising awareness about harboring mosquitoes though informational door hangers.

"We do have a bad problem that we need to get our arms around it," Tackett said. 

Zika has spread across the Caribbean and Latin America, and isolated cases have been reported in the U.S. The virus, which typically spreads through the Aedes aegypti mosquito, is especially dangerous for pregnant women because it can lead to miscarriages and serious birth defects. It also can be sexually transmitted by infected males.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's latest report noted said 1,123 Zika cases were in the United States. 

Earlier this month, state officials confirmed the eighth case of Zika virus in Delaware. All were contracted in foreign countries, but if the victims are bitten again by local mosquitoes, the virus could spread.

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In an interview earlier this month, Environmental Program Administrator of the State Division of Fish and Wildlife's Mosquito Control Section Dr. William Meredith said the chances of that happening are "remote" .  

Mosquitoes take the most human lives each year through diseases such as malaria and dengue. The numbers amount to about 725,000 lives a year; by comparison, sharks take 10 lives and lions take 100. 

The state spends about $650,000 each year on spraying as a means of mosquito population control. New Castle County government relies on the state for that tool.

Earlier this month, state officials briefed the Wilmington City Council on efforts to control the mosquito population. Wilmington has historically asked the state to avoid aerial spraying in favor of truck spraying.

Some of the concerns about aerial spraying are the safety of the chemicals used being spread so widely over populated areas, Thomas Moran, a regional manager with state mosquito control, told council members at the meeting. He insisted the pesticide, used to kill adult mosquitoes, are safe and would be applied as regulated by federal standards.

Council members were asked to make the option of aerial spraying part of normal public education throughout the city so people will know to anticipate the process — done from 1,000 feet in the air and only at first light or dusk — a seamless one. No action waas taken at the meeting.

Contact Xerxes Wilson at (302) 324-2787 or xwilson@delawareonline.com. Follow @Ber_Xerxes on Twitter.

Mosquito prevention tips

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants.
• Stay in places with air conditioning or that use window and door screens to keep mosquitoes outside.
• Use Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellents and always follow the product label instructions.
• If you are also using sunscreen, apply sunscreen before applying insect repellent.
• Treat clothing and gear with permethrin or purchase permethrin-treated items, which remain protective after multiple washings.
• Do not use permethrin products directly on skin.
• Sleep under a mosquito bed net if you are overseas or outside and not able to protect yourself from mosquitoes.