Mosquito Control 101: Mitigating Mosquitoes at City-Owned Parks

Published on August 07, 2020

CHEYENNE – The summer season can bring unwelcomed visitors in the form of mosquitoes. The City of Cheyenne would like to provide information to the public on what is being done to mitigate mosquitoes at City-owned parks and measures residents can take to keep these pesky insects under control.

For example, at the North Cheyenne Community Park Soccer Complex, contractors spray every three weeks with Aquabac; a liquid biolarvicide that kills mosquito larvae in water. Spray frequency is sometimes increased due to demand. Aquabac is sprayed into water sources to control mosquito larvae which prevents them from becoming adult mosquitoes. When sprayed, it is only effective for the larvae stage and does nothing to the adult mosquitoes.

Spraying is focused on the drainage and standing water sources on City and County property. Private property is not sprayed. This leaves the potential of mosquito larvae sources in those areas. This can prove problematic as adult mosquitoes can travel up to 10 miles with wind from the area they were hatched.

Residents can take preventative measures by following the five D’s: Drain, Dusk to Dawn, Dress, and Deet

Drain: Remove all standing water that has collected on or near your property or treat it with larvicide. Anything from clogged rain gutters to birdbaths has the potential to grow mosquitoes. If it can hold water, it can grow mosquitoes.

Dusk to Dawn: Between dusk and dawn are when mosquitoes that carry pathogens like the West Nile virus are the most active. Avoid going out at those times during mosquito season or prepare accordingly.

Dress: Summer might not seem like the time to wear long pants and sleeves, but it is the most effective way to help eliminate bites. Also make sure clothing is tightly woven, which ensures mosquitoes can’t bite through the fabric.

Deet: If you can’t cover up completely, the next best thing is to wear a bug spray that includes the chemical, Deet. If you prefer not to use the chemical, make sure you still use some form of bug spray that can help repel mosquitoes.

Mosquito eggs can also lie dormant in dry areas such as dry ponds for numerous years. Once an adequate amount of rain comes, it can regenerate the eggs, leaving the possibility of a big hatch in that area. The Aedes mosquito that comes from this type of hatch-offs are not carriers of West Nile.

In addition to spraying, the City also conducts dip testing for larvae and treats all areas that still contain larvae. If larvae is found, it is brought back to the office to hatch and identify adult mosquito species.

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