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Rye Mosquito Control Commission approves $14,050 Dragon invoice, reports no disease-positive mosquitoes and flags tick hotspots
Summary
The Rye Mosquito Control Commission on June 23 voted unanimously to pay Dragon $14,050 for June services, reviewed recent mosquito and tick treatments including a June 9 Town Forest tick spray, and heard that tick monitoring found a concentration of ticks in unsprayed Marden Woods.
The Rye Mosquito Control Commission voted unanimously June 23 to pay Dragon $14,050 for June services and reviewed recent mosquito and tick control work, commission members said.
The vote followed presentation of Invoice #33098, which Tim Sanborn moved to accept and Jim Farrelly seconded; all members present voted in favor, authorizing payment to Dragon for the contractor's June work.
Commissioners and the contractor's representative reviewed recent field activity. Sarah MacGregor presented a Dragon update saying salt marshes were treated last week but that very hot temperatures had made that work difficult. She said no mosquitoes have tested positive for diseases in Rye to date and that Town Forest Trails were treated for ticks on June 9.
Tim Sanborn also reported on a June 2 joint Selectmen/Conservation meeting in which he, Dr. Gail Snow, the town's health officer, and Sarah discussed ticks and disease. Following that meeting, the Conservation Commission approved Dragon spraying the Town Forest Trails and designated the red, orange and white trails for treatment.
Dragon's tick monitoring results were discussed: monitoring on trails in the Town Forest and in Marden Woods found many more ticks along the Marden Woods trail, which has never been sprayed, indicating a localized hotspot that members said warrants continued attention.
Members also recorded that all Greenhead fly traps are currently deployed on the salt marshes and that greenhead flies are especially bad this year. The commission noted that nearly 20 traps were retired because the wood had deteriorated; members recommended planning to build 24 new traps for 2027 to replace the aging units.
For resident outreach, Sarah MacGregor said she would write a short synopsis for the Rye Civic League News. She also described a revised Tick Prevention information sheet that includes updated counts of Powassan virus cases in New Hampshire and nationwide, and mentioned a recent Concord diagnosis. MacGregor said the sheet notes the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tracked Powassan since 2004 and lists about 500 cases nationwide; she emphasized that there is no specific treatment for Powassan beyond supportive care.
The commission set its next meeting for July 21 at 5:00 p.m. and adjourned at 5:35 p.m.
