Westchester Reporter

The Westchester County Health Department is offering free mosquito dunks to residents in an effort to combat the mosquito population. These dunks can be placed in bird baths, rain barrels, unused pools, and lined ornamental ponds that contain standing water.

The dunks contain a bacterium known as Bacillus Thuringiensis Israelensis (Bti), which specifically targets the larvae of mosquitoes, blackfly, and fungus gnats. Bti is naturally found in soil and has been approved for use in pest control within organic farming due to its safety for animals and plants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has also confirmed that Bti poses no harm to food crops or water supplies.

Residents can collect the free dunks on Friday, May 17 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Westchester County Department of Public Works located at 198 Lake Street, White Plains.

Health Commissioner Sherlita Amler, MD stated: “These dunks provide an environmentally safe and more cost-effective way to reduce the mosquito population than our past distribution of minnows. In recent years, pond raised minnows have become increasingly difficult to procure. This year, working with the State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Department secured the dunks at no cost to our residents. Dunks can be more widely and effectively used than minnows to help combat mosquito larva in small bodies of water and residential settings.”

Residents are advised to eliminate standing water from around their properties after rainfall as mosquitos can breed even in small amounts of water. It takes only seven to ten days for a mosquito egg to hatch into a biting adult mosquito. Since mosquitos do not fly far distances, preventing them from breeding will keep mosquitos from biting near homes.