MOSQUITO CONTROL INFORMATION

Mosquito Spraying is provided City-wide during the spring months to help control the adult population. The City of El Dorado begins spraying in May and will continue until October or until the weather is no longer conducive to breeding. Spraying is also dependent on weather conditions such as wind speed and rain forecast.

NOTE: The chemicals that are used by the City of El Dorado are not harmful to humans or animals.

Here are some tips for home that may help reduce the nuisance at your home:

Get rid of old tires, tin cans, buckets, drums, bottles or any water holding containers

Fill in or drain any low laces (puddles, ruts) in yard

Keep drains, ditches and culverts clean of weeks and trash so water will drain properly

Make sure rain gutters are clean and do not hold water

Cover trash containers to keep out rain water

Repair leaky pipes and outside faucets

Empty plastic wading pool at least once a week and store it indoors when not in use

Make sure your backyard pool is properly cared for while on vacation

Fill in tree rot holes and hollow stumps that hold water with sand or concrete

Change water in bird baths and plant pots or drip trays at least once each week

Keep grass cut short and shrubbery well trimmed around the house so adult mosquitoes will not hide there

Stock garden ponds with mosquito-eating fish, such as minnows and goldfish.

Eliminate aquatic vegetation around the edges of garden ponds, which allow predatory fish and beneficial predatory insects to reach the mosquito larvae

When feasible, raise and lower the water level to allow predatory fish to reach the mosquito larvae

Here are some tips that will help you when you are outdoors:

• When outdoors, apply insect repellent containing DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide). The more DEET the repellent contains the longer, not better, it will protect you. However the use of products containing more than 33 percent DEET is not recommended. Pay close attention to the product label, especially regarding the use for children. There are many products on the market, but some provide little protection (Table 1).

• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants treated with repellents containing DEET or permethrin. Keep in mind mosquitoes can bite through thin clothing.

Do not apply permethrin directly on your skin.

• Avoid being outdoors at dusk and dawn, which are the periods when mosquitoes are most active.

• When outdoors, place netting over infant carriers.

• Mosquito traps based on release of CO2 do not reduce the mosquito population to the level where there is a noticeable decline in mosquito numbers. (Table 2)

• Traps based on ultrasound technology are not effective for reducing the nuisance level.

• Make sure that screens on doors and windows are tight and without holes.

PRDUCT	ACTIVE INGREDIENT	MINUTES OF COMPLETE PROTECTION
Off! Deep Woods	23.8% Deet	302
Sawyer Controlled Release	20% Deet	234
Off! Skintastic	6.7% Deet	112
Bite Blocker for Kids	2% Soy Oil	95
Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard Plus	7.5% IR3535	23
Natrapel	10% Citronella	20
Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard	0.1% citronella	10
Skin-So-Soft Moisturizing Sun Care	0.05% Citronella	10
Gone Original Wristband	9.5% Deet	0.3

Here are some tips that will help control the nuisance:

Spay mosquito roosting areas. Follow a regular spraying program. Malathion, is the recommended insecticide most commonly used by homeowners for long-term control of mosquitoes outside the home. Spray where mosquitoes rest during the heat of the day such as in the cool leafy shade of shrubs, bushes, vines, flowers and in patches of tall grass and weeds. Also, spray sheltered surfaces outside the home such as roof eaves, breezeways, garages and the ceilings and screens of porches.

For a quick knockdown at parties or outdoor cookouts, use a pressurized spray can containing 0.1% pryethrin or 0.5% to 1% dichlorvos (DDVP, Vapona). Spray the mist lightly between tables and chairs.

All three insecticides are approved by the Environmental Protection Agency and are available through most hardware stores, garden centers and farm supply centers. Follow label instructions carefully.

For more information on this program, please contact Public Works Superintendent, Jason Hughey

at 316-321-9100 ext. 176 or email jhughey@eldoks.com.