LONG ISLAND, N.Y (WPIX) -
If Nassau County officials see mosquitoes in your bird bath, or any where else in your yard, it could cost you big time. The Health department is threatening to fine homeowners $250 if they fail to empty standing water where mosquitoes breed.
"Are they going to go up on my roof and look in my gutters?" joked Rockville Centre resident, Ira Goldstein, when PIX News caught up with him.
With the incredibly wet weather this June, the fear is it will be an awful summer for mosquitoes. The health department says they won't randomly check yards; Instead they'll respond to complaints.
If you leave standing water on a pool cover, chances are that your neighbors will complain. Before a ticket is issued, the offending resident will be issued a warning. The hope of the crackdown is to raise awareness about the danger of leaving conditions ripe for mosquitoes to breed.
"Last year we had the highest number of human confirmed cases and these were 20 severe cases of West Nile Virus and four of those died," said Nassau County Health Commissioner Dr. Maria Torrella Carney.
Besides the fine, it is in the best interest of residents to be vigilant because mosquitoes only travel around 200 feet from where they were bred.
You might be surprised how easily water collects, especially with all the recent rain. You may find pooled water in places you never would have thought to check.
The county says they'll unclog storm drains and place larvicide on municipal property; It's up to homeowners to empty rain water, and to make sure their neighbors do, too.
"Are they going to go up on my roof and look in my gutters?" joked Rockville Centre resident, Ira Goldstein, when PIX News caught up with him.
With the incredibly wet weather this June, the fear is it will be an awful summer for mosquitoes. The health department says they won't randomly check yards; Instead they'll respond to complaints.
If you leave standing water on a pool cover, chances are that your neighbors will complain. Before a ticket is issued, the offending resident will be issued a warning. The hope of the crackdown is to raise awareness about the danger of leaving conditions ripe for mosquitoes to breed.
"Last year we had the highest number of human confirmed cases and these were 20 severe cases of West Nile Virus and four of those died," said Nassau County Health Commissioner Dr. Maria Torrella Carney.
Besides the fine, it is in the best interest of residents to be vigilant because mosquitoes only travel around 200 feet from where they were bred.
You might be surprised how easily water collects, especially with all the recent rain. You may find pooled water in places you never would have thought to check.
The county says they'll unclog storm drains and place larvicide on municipal property; It's up to homeowners to empty rain water, and to make sure their neighbors do, too.
