RECENT COMMENTS
City to start spraying for mosquitoes
It’s mosquito spraying season. If your constituents see our crews spraying something down their storm drains or in the gutters, that’s what is happening.
The attached schedule is very imprecise, but we start on April 16 and end on Oct. 31, and go through the neighborhoods in this order. Each neighborhood takes 30-45 days to complete.
Here’s what a spraying crew looks like.
It’s important to remind your constituents that they can help by not leaving containers in the yard that can collect water (rain barrels are an exception because they have tight lids.) Mosquitoes can breed in even a teaspoon of water. Old flower pots, upside down trash can lids, tires, children’s toys, pet bowls, even lawn furniture can accumulate stagnant rain water and become a nursery for baby skeeters. Walk through the yard after each rain and turn over everything that has collected water. Your homegrown mosquitoes might be the ones carrying West Nile Virus and could make you or your neighbors very sick.
TAGGED: environment
THe backwards city where I grew up used to spray for mosquitos. A truck would drive through 1 evening every other week spraying. And we used to chase the truck on our bikes till we grew dizzy and had to pull over and pass out.
But it did help with the mosquito population.
@Chimbo – I’m glad to know we weren’t the only kids who did that.
Spraying “something” indeed. Do they disclose anywhere which specific agents are being used?
Agreed, what is being sprayed, seems like an important detail. Though I hate the mosquitoes too, spray rarely seems like the right fix.
Need to go back to the old fashioned mosquito spraying trucks like we had as kids. Some parts of the country have gone to them. This hit and miss method by the city isn’t going to take care of them all like a general spray will.
this method seem rather impotent. mosquitos can breed in stopped up gutters, puddles, old cups, anything that holds water.
As pointed out, spraying is a limited, localized and toxic solution. When the Panama Canal was built, the director of the project, William Gorgas, enacted a $5 fine for any standing water found at a persons dwelling. Additionally, he had swamps and wetlands filled in, motor oil poured on large areas of standing water and other extreme, but ultimately effective, meaures to beat the mosquitoes that carried yellow fever and malaria.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_measures_during_the_construction_of_the_Panama_Canal#The_sanitation_effort
Many of those measures today would be environmentally unacceptable and very costly. The best solution is to stay inside at dusk and dawn when the little vampires are most active, and use citronella candles and insect repellent.
don’t forget the Nile virus – mosquitos are more than just annoying – they can carry disease