ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT BY
THE WEED & PEST & VECTOR CONTROL
1121 Dell Range Boulevard
P.O. Box 2238
Cheyenne, WY  82003
(307) 637-6475
(307) 637-6478 Fax

Bob Lee, Director
Patsy Flores, Office Manager

For information on Mosquito Protection click here.

The Weed and Pest and Vector Control Department operates under state statutes, is funded by the county, and works in the city on right-of-ways, drainages, and public lands, including Board of Public Utilities and Airport lands.  The department manages approximately 15,000 acres utilizing biorational integrated pest management procedures for noxious/poisonous plant control and vector borne disease control.   

The department also provides identification of plants, insects, and arachnid specimen for the general public as well as other government agencies.  In addition,  recommendations for the safest control measures are provided if deemed necessary.

Vector borne disease control is a public health issue. Numerous diseases are transmitted to human and domestic animals by insect  or arachnid carriers (vectors). The Department concentrates control efforts on mosquitoes and filth flies utilizing predominantly biological control agents. These may include beneficial and/or predacious insects, pheromone traps, bacterial endotoxins and microscopic nematodes.  Monomolecular films and short-lived biorational pesticides are used as backups or in emergency situations.

The Weed and Pest Department works primarily in support of agricultural interests such as the control of invasive alien and/or exotic plants considered to be undesirable by the State Agriculture department. Many of these plants can severely damage or actually eliminate wildlife habitat in addition to having a deleterous effect on agriculture.  The department's objective involves researching these invasive species, making determinations as to how to best control infestations already established and what preventative measures are necessary to minimize new ones.  Noxious plants can lead to an ecological disaster if left unchecked.

The department also, on occasion, provides Bubonic Plague control work involving the treatment of underground burrows of ground squirrels to mitigate the disease organism carried by fleas, thus minimizing potential epidemic situations.