Vector Control
The Vector Control Department is the group charged
with providing mosquito and general vector
control and funding is through a special
assessment on the utility bill sent to City
consumers.
Vector control is the methods used to limit
or eradicate mosquitoes and other “vectors” which
can transmit disease pathogens.
Most persons consider mosquitoes to be a pest,
simply an aggravation and nuisance. However,
mosquitoes can harbor diseases such as West
Nile virus, Saint Louis encephalitis virus,
Eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus, Everglades
virus, Highlands J virus, La Crosse Encephalitis
virus in the United States; dengue fever, yellow
fever, Ilheus virus, and malaria. Very few
of these occur locally, but there have been
cases of West Nile Virus reported in the panhandle.
Mosquito Control
The most effective way to
control mosquitoes is to remove the habitat
that allows for their
existence. Since many mosquitoes breed in standing
water, source reduction can be as simple as
emptying water from containers around the home.
This is something that homeowners can accomplish.
For example, homeowners can eliminate mosquito
breeding grounds by removing unused plastic
pools, old tires, or buckets; by clearing clogged
gutters and repairing leaks around faucets;
by regularly changing water in bird baths;
and by filling or draining puddles. Eliminating
such mosquito breeding areas can be an extremely
effective and permanent way to reduce mosquito
populations without resorting to insecticides.
Mosquitoes also tend to reside in grassy and
weedy areas during the day. This is why they
may swarm when someone mows high standing grass.
It is very important that home residents keep
their yards and alleys mowed and well kept
in order to reduce the mosquito population.
The next best method of mosquito control
is Larvicide. This is where chemicals, natural
or synthetic, that are detrimental to the survival
of the larvae, are introduced in the Mosquito
Larvae habitat. In the larval stage, mosquitoes
are very vulnerable. One of the easiest ways
to do this is to break the surface tension
of the water where they live with some sort
of detergent or surfactant. This makes the
larvae drown, thus preventing the mosquito
from developing.
Other chemicals attack during the development
stages. Others are simple contact poisons.
These must be carefully applied as other aquatic
creatures may be impacted by their presence
in the ecosystem.
Once the mosquitoes are adults, the females
become needy for blood in order to produce
more offspring. This is when adulticide is
used. This is the most familiar treatment for
most people. It is also the least effective
means of mosquito control, but where the most
effort is placed.
The City of Borger utilizes two fogging pickups
which are used in the mornings and evenings
to control mosquitoes. These pickups operate
at about 10-15 MPH and spray or fog the adulticide
chemical. This chemical MUST come in contact
with the mosquito in order to kill it. This
requires that the mosquitoes must be active
and flying when fogged. This is at dusk and
at dawn. This is when the fogging trucks are
active.
Fogging or area spraying is used to rapidly
reducing adult mosquito populations when they
have become severe pests. Fogging and area
sprays must be properly timed to coincide with
the time of peak adult activity, because resting
mosquitoes are often found in areas that are
difficult for the insecticide to reach (e.g.,
under leaves, in small crevices).
|
