Crescent-News.com - Normal year so far for mosquito spraying

By TODD HELBERG

cnedit@crescent-news.com

Rainfall has been adequate in most areas -- abundant in some -- but a couple local municipalities report a normal year so far for mosquito spraying.

"I don't think they've been too bad," Defiance assistant service director Russ Jesse said Wednesday. "We haven't had too many complaints on them. We've had a lot of cool nights."

"Just by talking to my guys and my own experience I don't think they've been too bad yet," said Hicksville village administrator Kent Miller. "If (people) are griping, they've not made it known to me yet."

"For as much rain as we've had this year, it hasn't been too bad," echoed Archbold street superintendent Jason Martz.

Defiance city street crews have been proceeding as normal this time of year with pesticide spraying.

They spray from about 8-11 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, during the summer months. No spraying occurs on Friday and Saturday.

The city is broken into five areas that receive spraying on specific nights.

"We hit the same area on the same nights so people know when we are coming," Jesse explained.

In Archbold, spraying occurs on Thursday evenings when the wind is less than 10 miles per hour and it's not raining. Martz said two crews handle the north and south ends of town simultaneously.

Like most communities, Archbold also has a larvacide program that targets catch basins and other stagnant water areas. Martz credits this effort for keeping mosquitos in check this year.

"We saw a lot of larva (early) and caught them at the right time," he said.

Hicksville crews try to spray on Monday and Thursday evenings during mosquito season, but Miller said weather has interfered with the schedule. It's either been too chilly, too rainy or too windy on those days, he explained, so crews have only made it out once.

"Normally by this time of year we've been out half a dozen times," said Miller. "When everything is ideal we try to go out every Monday and Thursday night and hit every street in town."

When the spraying trucks go through neighborhoods, residents need not fear the foggy spray, officials said.

"It's non-toxic to humans," Jesse noted.

Nevertheless, "we do have a few complaints from people who don't want the sprayer run by their house," he noted. "Then we shut it off when we go by. But for the most part it's positive. They (residents) give you a thumbs up when you go by with the sprayer."

Jesse said Defiance spent $17,159 for pesticides this year for more than 250 gallons. In addition, another $2,328 was expended on insecticide briquettes that are dropped in catch basins to kill mosquito larva.

"We're hoping that it will be enough, but if we have a year like last year when the mosquitos were bad until October, we will have to purchase more," said Jesse.

Miller said Hicksville village normally spends about $10,000 annually for insecticides as well as a $100 or so for larva-killing briquettes. However, so far he said the village has only purchased one barrel of insecticide for $3,500.

Mosquito spraying usually prompts a little overtime for municipal street crews.

Last year, Jesse said a wet August prolonged the mosquito population and season before autumn frosts took them away. As a result, he said the city spent $4,400 in overtime for mosquito spraying.

"That was a big year because of a wet August and abnormally high temperatures in the fall," said Jesse. "Normally we don't spend that much."

More information can be obtained on mosquito control by visiting Defiance City Hall's website http://www.cityofdef...t.shtml and clicking he "mosquito control information" link.

Archbold village's website also has mosquito control information at

www.archbold.com/department.asp?page=8. This includes a link to a brochure from Clarke Mosquito Control which provides the village with insecticide.