The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Mosquito spraying begins over Wellesley

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Reports started trickling in to our inbox and social media feeds on Saturday night that planes had begun buzzing parts of Wellesley, including the Westgate Road area, to spray for mosquitoes.

Indeed, the town issued the following memo on Sunday:

A small section of the Town of Wellesley was aerial sprayed for mosquitoes overnight on Saturday, September 14. 

See the updated Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) interactive spray map for specific locations.

Additional aerial spraying of the Town is still expected. 

The Health Department continues to recommend that residents close windows and doors and turn off fans and window air conditioners at night until spraying in our community is completed. 

Wellesley remains at a low risk level for the mosquito-borne disease Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE).

Please visit the Health Department website for more information. 

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Update from the Town of Wellesley about mosquito risk level and spraying

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The following information has been provided by the Town of Wellesley:

Wellesley’s current risk level (as of 9/10/19) is low for both West Nile Virus (WNV) and Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) regularly updates the risk level for WNV and EEE for all communities in the state. Several factors are a part of determining the level of risk assigned to a community. These include whether mosquitoes in that community have tested positive for a mosquito-borne disease, and whether there have been any reported animal or human cases of WNV or EEE this season.

To check the risk level, here is the map MDPH regularly updates that indicates the risk level in Wellesley. If you click below each map, you’ll see there is a chart that indicates the corresponding recommended behavior for that risk level.

To find out if mosquitoes in Wellesley are carrying diseases, the Town, as a part of the East Middlesex Mosquito Control Project, regularly traps and tests mosquitoes in the area for a variety of mosquito-borne diseases including both WNV and EEE. Thus far this season, NO mosquitoes with WNV or EEE have been found in Wellesley. The Town does not anticipate EEE to be found in Wellesley mosquitoes. The type of environment where EEE mosquitoes are typically found – white cedar and large red maple swamps – is not common in Wellesley so the risk of EEE in our Town remains low.

To protect Wellesley residents from mosquito-borne diseases, early in the season, EMMCP treats catch basins in the area to
prevent mosquitoes in the larval stage from developing. Through EMMCP mosquito traps, the type and volume of mosquitoes are monitored throughout the season and tested for diseases. Additionally, the Health Department uses a variety of methods to reach the general public and specific populations with messages about personal prevention such as using mosquito repellent and avoiding outdoor activity during peak mosquito hours.

Wellesley does not plan to conduct truck spraying for mosquitoes at this time, however, a portion of the Town is in the planned aerial spray area defined by State officials on Sept. 10, 2019, and will be sprayed at night during the hours of 7:15 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. in the next five to six days.

MA Dept. of Public Health 24-hour hotline: 617-983-6800

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Parts of Wellesley in revised EEE spray zone

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The Massachusetts Department of Public Health and Department of Agricultural Resources have announced plans for additional aerial spraying to combat mosquitos carrying the Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus.

Communities that are scheduled to be partially or fully sprayed beginning on Sept. 10 and into next week include:

  • Norfolk County: Bellingham, Franklin, Medway, Millis, Norfolk, Medfield, Walpole, Wrentham, Foxborough, Sharon, Norwood, Westwood, Dover, Needham, Wellesley
  • Middlesex County: Ashland, Hopkinton, Holliston, Sherborn, Framingham, Natick, Wayland, Sudbury, Maynard, Stow, Hudson, Marlborough, Weston
  • Worcester County: Berlin, Boylston, Northborough, Westborough, Shrewsbury, Grafton, Upton, Milford, Hopedale, Mendon, Blackstone, Millville, Uxbridge, Douglas, Northbridge, Sutton, Millbury, Auburn, Oxford, Webster, Southborough, Bolton, Clinton, West Boylston, Worcester, Charlton, Dudley, Leicester, Harvard

According to the town:

While the Town of Wellesley remains at a low risk level for EEE, a portion of the Town is located in the defined spray path and will be sprayed at night, between the hours of 7:15 p.m. and 4:30 a.m., sometime within the next five to six days. The specific areas impacted will be in the 02482 zip code and the western edge of the 02481 zip code. Morses Pond and Lake Waban, both open bodies of water, will be excluded from spraying as will Fuller Brook and other tributary streams.

Here’s a map showing which part of Wellesley will be in the spray zone. You can plug an address into this interactive map to get more specific spray coverage info.

eee spray
New EEE spray zone (Mass DPH)

 

spray wells
Department of Public Health EEE spray map: Spraying to the west of the red line

 

The town of Wellesley issued an update on EEE on Monday, saying it had no plans to spray but that things could change based on risk levels. Concerned citizens had been circulating a petition/letter urging town officials to spray sooner than later.

Residents with specific questions and concerns about EEE and aerial spraying should contact the Massachusetts DPH 24-hour hot line at 617-983-6800.

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Sustainable Wellesley kick-off meeting is September 15, 2019

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Sustainable WellesleyConcerned about your family’s health and the climate?  Do you want to make a difference in your community and meet new people? Then come to Sustainable Wellesley’s next action meeting on Sunday, September 15,  2pm -3:30pm at Wellesley Village Church, 2 Central Street. The location is accessible.

Learn about the many campaigns, projects, and opportunities there are for you to participate in, or bring your own ideas for  making a difference, both here in our community and as we work for environmental justice throughout the Commonwealth. No experience necessary; just come with you variety of talents, enthusiasm and knowledge.

For more information, contact [email protected]

Some agenda items:

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