2022 Mosquito Control Updates
On April 25, 2022, the Board of Selectmen's minutes report “a motion was made, seconded, and unanimously voted to apply to opt out of all state-mandated spraying, with the acknowledgement that the Board’s vote will only be honored if all opt-out application components are submitted to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA).”
On June 15, 2022, the opt-out application submitted to the EEA by the Town of Essex was denied, as the Town does not have the capacity to perform all mosquito control activities as required and Essex is not a member of a mosquito control district. (Mosquito control district membership requires approval at an annual town meeting, and historically this has been voted down - most recently in 2020). If the MA Department of Public Health deems there is an arbovirus-related emergency, the State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board will conduct mosquito control activities - including aerial spraying - on our behalf in accordance with the Act to Mitigate Arbovirus in the Commonwealth.
Important information:
State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board (SRMCB). SRMCB oversees the regional Mosquito Control Districts (MCD).
Request for individual property exclusion i.e. "opt-out" when routine aerial spraying is occurring in your area. Note: Essex is not part of a MCD and therefore we do not participate in routine aerial spray activities.
Request for notification when aerial spraying is occurring in your area. Note: individual opt-out/exclusion requests will not be honored if there is a declared public health emergency.
Northeast Massachusetts Mosquito Control and Wetlands Management District, the local organization that performs mosquito surveillance and control in our surrounding towns.
Still confused? Check out this FAQ.