The return of summer signals the return of mosquitoes and the early morning – or early evening – buzz of the City of Collinsville’s mosquito fogging truck traveling the city streets attempting to temporarily rid the area of the nuisance insects.
A City of Collinsville mosquito fogging truck / photo by Roger Starkey
Mosquito fogging is effective only for mosquitoes that come into contact with the insecticide droplets and the fog, depending on wind conditions, has a range of about 100 feet, Collinsville Director of Streets Rod Cheatham said. The City of Collinsville spent about $34,000 last year spraying for mosquitoes.
When asked if fogging is effective, Cheatham shrugs a bit. “Doing something is better than nothing,” he said.
Collinsville does more than just fogging to control the population of the blood-sucking pests. The City also practices larviciding – the treatment of locations where mosquito larvae are present – which the Illinois Department of Public Health calls the most effective method of mosquito control. Larviciding on the local level is done by treating areas of standing water, Cheatham said.
Although driving the streets spraying fog out the back of a truck may look like a primitive attempt to control mosquitoes, science is employed heavily in the practice. Every person applying the pesticide must be licensed, the amount of pesticide used (about 3-5 ounces per acre) is carefully measured and dry ice traps are set around the city to gauge the effectiveness of fogging efforts, as well as to identify trouble spots needing more future attention.
Treating is done in the early morning or early evening hours, when the insects are the most active. As for the contention that the spray may not reach a person’s back yard, Cheatham says simply, “the mosquitoes aren’t staying in your back yard, either.”
Fogging is effective in reducing the adult mosquito population for a short period of time, but it does not prevent them reentering the area, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. However, it is the only method that will reduce the population of West Nile infected mosquitoes, the department notes.
The presence of West Nile in Madison County increased the cost of spraying in Collinsville last year. Cheatham introduced a plan in 2013 to dedicate one person from his department to spraying. The move was intended to reduce the amount of overtime the citizens pay street crews to fog the town. The presence of West Nile changed everything.
“When there is a report of West Nile, worries about overtime go out the window,” Cheatham said.
To help keep the mosquito population under control, Cheatham suggests removing any standing water from homes or businesses. The Illinois Department of Public Health recommends changing the water in bird baths and wading pools at least once per week.
The insecticides used by the Street Department during the spraying season, which typically runs from April to October, must be registered with the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA estimates exposure ranges from 100 to 10,000 times below the amount of pesticide that might pose a health concern (read more at http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/factsheets/fog.htm). However, no pesticide is risk free, the Illinois Department of Public Health notes.
