In preparation for the Fourth of July holiday, the City of Pierre Parks Department will be mosquito fogging in residential areas this week.
If weather conditions are favorable, fogging of residential areas will begin at dusk Wednesday (July 1) and continue at dusk on Thursday. Fogging is generally done at dusk and can only be done when the wind speed is less than 10 miles per hour. This is the first round of residential fogging for the season, but the Parks Department has been battling mosquitoes, including fogging public properties, since spring.
City Parks and Recreation Director Tom Farnsworth says citizen engagement is key to controlling the mosquito population. He says city crews can’t touch personal property, so residents need to remove breeding grounds such as standing or stagnant water from their personal property.
Farnsworth says bird baths, tire swings and other outdoor containers that collect water can produce thousands of mosquitoes. Additionally, the mosquitoes will breed as long as conditions are favorable; so, Farnsworth says it’s important to continue to remove standing water throughout the summer.
To eliminate mosquitoes in parks, at the golf course and in other green space with heavy foliage the city removes the stagnant water it can, uses larvicide to treat the breeding grounds it can’t remove and then applies a ground spray or fogs the remaining mosquitoes.
Pierre uses a three-pronged approach to reduce the mosquito population. This includes removal of stagnant water to eliminate mosquito breeding habitats, larviciding to kill mosquitoes before they hatch and adulticiding to eliminate adult mosquitoes.
PHOTO: City Parks staff uses off road vehicles to spray for mosquitoes in areas that are difficult to access.
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