Potential Mosquito Problem in Dorchester County

(CAMBRIDGE, Md) – An extremely wet summer has caused the Maryland Department of Agriculture to declare several mosquito hot zones in Dorchester County. We’re hearing from bother them and the Dorchester County Health Department about the potential impact.

The Department of Agriculture has been looking into these pests in Dorchester County; And while there has been a decline since the middle of Spring, they’re seeing an increase in mosquito hot zones.

“It does have a lot of marsh areas. It does have a lot of wooden areas, open green spaces. All of these areas that may contain wetlands or may flood as a result of a tidal event or heavy rainfall can definitely produce widespread mosquito issues,” says Maryland Department of Agriculture Administrator, Daniel Shamberger.

This is causing concern over mosquito borne diseases such as equine encephalitis or West Nile Virus.

It’s why we went and spoke with the Dorchester County Health Department.

They tell us there’s a good method to reduce attracting mosquitoes onto your property.

Hannah Mayhew with the Dorchester County Health Department says, “You just tap into us, so you tip things and toss things that might collect water in your backyard, that could be playground equipment. It could be those dishes that hold plants.”

Unfortunately, according to the Department of Agriculture, we may not be out of the woods yet when it comes to the mosquito populace.

Shamberger tells us, “Typically, we see another increase later in August and September, especially if tropical storms move up the coast and produce heavy, widespread rainfall.”

While these hot zones continue to pose a risk, the Department of Agriculture and the Health Department are advising people to protect themselves in multiple ways should they see an up tick in mosquitoes.

Dorchester County is offering mosquito control, and you can check out the full list on their Facebook page.