Residents of Ferry Point are itching to be rid of the mosquitoes that they believe are a burden to daily outdoor activities, carrying disease
JoAnn Sohmers, president of the Ferry Point Civic Association, explained that members of the organization are concerned with the abundance of mosquitoes in the area, a result of stagnant water ponds that has been an ongoing problem to the community.
“My family alone is bitten on a daily basis and one of our members actually caught a mosquito, put it in a jar, because he was concerned with how large it was and the West Nile Virus,” said Sohmers. “I thought they [the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene] were supposed to spray. There are still thousands of mosquitoes, you can’t even go in your own yard.”
The Department of Health & Mental Hygiene found the first detection of the West Nile Virus in New York City in Ferry Point Park on Tuesday, July 7.
According to DOH, the most recent detection of West Nile Virus found within the 10465 area code was in Ferry Point Park on Wednesday, September 9. Since the last detection, DOH has been monitoring and treating the area with larvicide on a weekly basis.
Additionally, adulticiding was conducted on August 26. Following the September 9 detection, the area has been tested ten times, each with negative results.
Dorothea Poggi of the Friends of Ferry Point Park, said they are less concerned about the present mosquitoes, which they believe are decreasing, but remained concerned for the future.
According to Poggi, who is also president of the Ferry Point Community Advocates, the source of the problem is the stagnant freshwater puddles from water running off Ferry Point’s synthetic soccer field, poor drainage, lack of catch basins, and unpaved roads.
The water causes not only trouble with mosquitoes in the summer, but with ice pockets in the winter as well.
For further information on the West Nile Virus visit www.nyc.gov/health.
