Mosquitoes bite — and so would a ban on flowers at cemeteries.

A soggy June has officials in Staten Island wringing their hands over a
spike in the mosquito population, with some “even asking cemeteries to
ban graveside flower vases, saying mosquitoes only need a quarter inch
of water to breed,” according to a report on New York’s local ABC affiliate.
New Jersey and Maryland are also preparing for itchy and potentially
dangerous infestations as their wet weather is starting to warm up — a
perfect climate for skeeter breeding.

No cemeteries had enforced the ban at press time, but the
possibility underscores the importance of reaching out to funeral
directors and cemetery managers. If you’ve heard about any such bans,
let us know and/or tell us what you’d suggest to a family who couldn’t send fresh flowers to the gravesite.

Try this:

• 
  Educate funeral directors and cemetery managers about alternatives, such as wreaths or permanent flowers.

• SAF encourages all florists to work with their partners in the sympathy business and does so itself through ads in funeral publications and a campaign to end the “in lieu of” phrase from obituaries. For suggestions on how to connect at the local level, visit SAF’s Sympathy Business page.