By Gus Saltonstall
The majority of the Upper West Side will be sprayed with pesticides this week to help reduce mosquito activity and the risk of West Nile Virus.
The New York City Health Department will spray low concentrations of pesticides from trucks on Wednesday from around 59th to 178 streets, on both the west and east sides of Manhattan. The spraying is scheduled Wednesday from around 12:01 a.m. through 6 a.m., according to the Health Department.
“Our surveillance gives us a neighborhood level picture of West Nile virus activity and helps us act where intervention can make a difference,” said NYC Health Commissioner Alister F. Martin, in a news release. “As we move through the latter part of mosquito season, we will continue using that information to guide our response. New Yorkers can do their part by staying mindful of mosquito bites when spending time outdoors.”
Specifically, the Health Department will spray Duet, which is an EPA-registered mosquito control product. According to the agency, “The risks of pesticides applied by the Health Department for mosquito control are low for people and pets. Individuals who are particularly sensitive to spray ingredients may experience temporary eye or throat irritation or a mild rash.”
Best practices during the spray process, especially for people with respiratory conditions, include:
- Stay indoors, whenever possible.
- Air conditioners can remain on. While unnecessary, you may wish to close air conditioner vents, or choose the recirculate function.
After spraying:
Will every single street be sprayed?
midnight. that means from 11:59+ pm on Tuesday night or Wednesday night? into Wednesday or Thursday morning? just wanna make sure. tks.
I read it as 12 midnight, going into early Wednesday
https://www.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/wnv/2026/wnv-notice-20260828.pdf
“On Monday, August 31, Health Department trucks will treat designated areas of Brooklyn
between 8:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. the following morning, weather permitting. If weather
conditions prevent the treatment, it will be rescheduled for Tuesday, September 1, during
the same hours.
On Wednesday, September 2, trucks will treat designated areas of the Bronx beginning
8:30 p.m. Treatment in Manhattan will begin after 12 a.m. and continue through the early
morning hours, with all operations concluding by 6 a.m., weather permitting. The alternate
date is Thursday, September 3, following the same schedule.“
Is that Tuesday night to Wednesday morning at 6am, or Wednesday at midnight to Thursday at 6am?
Not clear in the article
If the author – or editor or proofreader – had linked to the original document, we could read the overnight date of the spraying.
They said “The spraying is scheduled Wednesday from around 12:01 a.m. through 6 a.m., according to the Health Department.”
What isn’t clear?
Interesting (and odd) that the area west of Broadway below 72nd St appears to be excluded. I wonder why? Lincoln Towers is excluded.
They do it by “section.” I’m sure those blocks are in one of the other sections that will be sprayed.
Maybe they complained that they (their own bodies) don’t want to be sprayed and — for them — the City obliged.
those people were deemed expendible.
And what about the harm to the birds and other animals, to other needed insects? That is not in the article. Often those spraying don’t even notice or care when people are walking by as I have personally had to suffer.
“Often those spraying don’t even notice or care when people are walking by as I have personally had to suffer.”
Please get real. The spray trucks have NYPD escorts who use their PA function to tell people to go inside as they drive the residential streets. DOHMH also notifies the public days in advance so you can plan ahead and not be outside during the early morning hours. If you are in the path of the trucks while they are spraying, it’s because you chose to ignore the warnings.
I’m not arguing in support of the sprays, but this argument is fear-mongering and maligning the licensed technicians who perform them.
But this is the first I heard about it and it’s Wednesday afternoon now.
So instead of West Nile Virus, we will be exposed to other lung and cancer related illnesses. Thanks for the warning.
This is a bad way to control mosquitos — spraying doesn’t work well. Getting rid of standing water is most important, for example. No matter what the city says, it’s bad for humans, pets, birds and other wildlife and kills a lot of other (beneficial) insects as well. And the instance of West Nile virus is very low. This all just doesn’t make sense — except maybe for the city to be able to protect itself for any liability associated with the virus.
There is frequent standing water on the rooftop of the standalone store building with current tenant Just Food for Dogs at 2025 Broadway. Can’t tell from the map if Broadway both ways at this corner is included for this spraying application, or if it’s a boundary for the side streets application?
For those wondering. The spraying of the UWS will be done SEPTEMBER 2- which is effectively on the night between Tuesday and Wednesday (i.e. early morning hours of Wednesday). See details here:
https://www.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/west-nile-virus-spray.page
That’s incorrect – they are spraying Wednesday night into Thursday:
“On Wednesday, September 2, trucks will treat designated areas of the Bronx beginning
8:30 p.m. Treatment in Manhattan will begin after 12 a.m. and continue through the early
morning hours, with all operations concluding by 6 a.m., weather permitting. The alternate
date is Thursday, September 3, following the same schedule.“
Unrelated to the spraying, one hot day about a week ago, I decided to read my book in Geffen Hall to take advantage of the air conditioning in a lovely place. The next morning, I noticed two red insect bites on my hand and one on my leg. I went online to identify the bites and they were clearly bed bug bites. My apartment is bed bug free and the only place this could have happened is Geffen Hall, where any member of the public can sit on the upholstered chairs. I’m posting this in case anyone uses the space. Thankfully, the flaming red marks are almost gone and I’ll find an alternative place to read in the future.
Please call Geffen Hall and tell them about this – and tell them exactly where you were sitting. It sounds like they need to have an expert do an inspection + bring in the bed bug sniffing dog + throw out and replace some furniture. Tell them all of this please – tell them they *must* throw out these infested chairs/sofas – tell them you’re going to come back soon and verify that they replaced this furniture – ask to speak to a manager/supervisor – no kidding. Thank you!
I suupose it should be noted that, according to medical authorities like CDC, NIH and WHO, 80% of those bitten by a West Nile Virus mosquito will not get ANY symptoms. For the 20% who do, they are relatively mild: fever, body aches/joint pain, minor stomach issues, rash or swollen glands, and/or fatigue and weakness – the latter of which can last for weeks or months.
Less than 1% might develop the worst symptoms, which are encephalitis or meningitis. But these are extremely rare.
Question, the same some other people asked, is it Tuesday at midnight or Wednesday?
From this official notice, it looks like the UWS will be sprayed begining 12:01am THURSDAY morning. It starts in the Bronx on Wed at 8:30pm, followed by the UWS at 12:01am, (which is technically Thursday morning).
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://www.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/wnv/2026/wnv-notice-20260828.pdf
Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s how I interpret the notice. Also, because Brooklyn’s rain date is Tuesday evening, they wouldn’t do both Brooklyn and Manhattan on the same night.
Ticks that carry serious diseases are found all over the Northeast including NYC although prime sites are woods and forests. Many diseases are carried and can be difficult to diagnose and treat.. please tell us about this, as even the NYTimes has written about this new scourge- alarmingly. What is the experience on UWS to date?
This is another reason it’s great to have so many dogs on the UWS that take trips to the countryside and bring ticks home with them for us!
Spraying. Tonight (Tuesday). About 11:59 pm to tomorrow (Wednesday) morning 6:00 am or so! Enjoy!
I wanted to offer everyone a foolproof way to control mopsquitoes in your apartments and homes. I have used it now for a while, and it works consistently.
For an individual room, take a piece of aluminum or tin foil and fold the sides up a little bit to create an “ashtray” ~3″ to 4″ in across. (You can also use a small metal dish.) Place unused ground coffee grounds (from the bag or can) into the “tray,” making a layer that covers the bottom completely. Then take a lighter (mathes won’t work because you would have to tilt the tray, losing the grounds) and run it over the grounds slowly and consistently until you create thin wisps of smoke. (Almost like the ground are charcoal.) Once you have done that, make sure all grounds that may still be “lit” are put out. Then just leave it.
This works in two ways, even if there is a mosquito in your room with the door closed. First, mosquitoes hate the smell of coffee to begin with. Second, the mostquito cannot smell your sweat (which is what they are attracted to) through the smell of the coffee. I’ve been stuck in my room with a mosquito and slept without covera, without getting a single bite.
You can do this for each room. It even works outside on patios, etc. (though you need more of them or larger ones). Obviously, if you don’t like the smell of coffee, this is not for you.