Greenhead fly invasion sparks call for county action on Long Beach Island
TOMS RIVER, NJ — The fight against greenhead flies on Long Beach Island took a public turn during a recent county board meeting, as frustrated residents and officials alike described an infestation that has turned beaches into battlegrounds and prompted urgent calls for a mainland trap program.
The swarm begins with a west wind. Then, wave after wave of bloodthirsty greenhead flies descend on Holgate’s shoreline, driving beachgoers away and leaving behind a trail of itchy welts — and in some cases, infections. Rand Pearsall, president of the Holgate Taxpayers Association, stood before the Ocean County Board of Commissioners this week urging for a coordinated effort to contain the problem, which he said originates from the mainland salt marshes.
A long-forgotten county-run fly control program once managed by the Ocean County Mosquito Commission was brought back into the spotlight, with Pearsall proposing a pilot initiative to trap greenheads inland before they can make it across the bay.
Commissioner Jack Kelly confirmed the county once operated such a program and admitted he was surprised to learn it had been discontinued. Kelly said he already directed the county engineer to meet with the Mosquito Commission to determine why the program stopped and whether it can be restarted. “We had that program years ago,” he said. “I did not know that it stopped.”
Pearsall explained the mechanics of the current trap system used by Holgate residents — large black wooden box structures built to resemble a cow or horse, the type of animals greenhead flies are naturally drawn to in search of a blood meal. The flies enter the trap through an opening and are caught by an internal screen system. “They could get out, but they never do,” Pearsall said.
“They get in and they can’t get out,” Commissioner Kelly added during the exchange, affirming the trap’s effectiveness. “They’re stupid,” Pearsall responded, referencing the flies’ inability to retrace their path out once inside.
Holgate’s trapping program has already shown results, catching thousands of flies each season. Recently, traps deployed in Little Egg Harbor — a mainland area believed to be a source point for many of the island’s greenhead problems — filled up rapidly, confirming Pearsall’s concerns about the scale of the infestation inland.
Commissioners echoed his alarm. Commissioner Virginia Haines said the problem was “very bad,” and Commissioner Frank Sadeghi revealed he had suffered an infection from a greenhead bite just the week before.
“I will tell you that Freeholder Mancini, who used to sit here, and as a Freeholder and he did
foranumber of years, said the best way to kill them is not the trap but to get a hammer and two blocks of wood
and hit the fly with the hammer and put the block of wood on top and you’ll get rid of them. But he was
kidding. He was the head of the Mosquito Commission, and we did build those traps, and I did not know that the
program had stopped. But that’s what happens when you’re not there every day,” Kelly added.
The proposed pilot program would cost little, according to Pearsall, with each trap costing around $200 to construct and requiring minimal seasonal maintenance. He suggested the county work with one town to begin testing next season, then expand based on the results.
Pearsall emphasized that eliminating the flies entirely is unlikely, but controlling their population on the mainland could significantly reduce the number reaching the island. “Those flies would be killed on the mainland and will never fly over,” he said.
County Engineer Mark Jehnke is now coordinating next steps with the Mosquito Commission, and updates are expected in the near future.
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Key Points
- Ocean County residents are demanding a revived greenhead fly control program after trap success on Long Beach Island
- Commissioner Jack Kelly confirmed a past program existed and vowed to look into restarting it
- The traps mimic cows or horses, luring in flies that enter and become trapped inside
Greenhead flies are flying in from the mainland and getting trapped in boxes that mimic livestock — and Ocean County may finally be ready to fight back.