With the threat of mosquito-borne illnesses, the City of Ridgeland is looking at ways to provide a more effective system to eradicate the pests in the city.
Public Works Director Mike McCollum said the city currently has its own mosquito spraying program, which is comprised of two trucks outfitted with equipment to spray adulticides around the city twice each week.
“If we have requests, we will go and address those too,” McCollum said. “We have an adulticide program, and residents can submit an application for that if they have standing water on their property.”
McCollum said the adulticides are what the trucks spray around the city. He said they also use larvicides, which are tablets that can be dropped into standing water to kill mosquitoes.
However, the city is considering going in a different direction with its mosquito control.
“The city is considering hiring a contractor to go out and set traps and has GPS data to gauge the effectiveness of the program,” McCollum said. “They would also use adulticide and larvicide, but they would concentrate on areas where it is needed most.”
“It’s a little more scientific approach,” said Mayor Gene McGee.
McCollum said with the current program they know where the trucks are going, and they are able to take complaints and address those. However, he said the contractor approach would allow for a more proactive way to handle the issue.
“We typically start spraying around April and through until the end of October,” he said. “They are most prevalent in the summer months.”
McGee said there is an issue with residents having standing water in their yards as it is a breeding ground for mosquitoes. He said even gutters on houses can become stopped up and present the perfect conditions for mosquitoes.
“Even a pool float out in the yard that isn’t being used and has collected water, that’s a breeding ground for mosquitoes,” he said. “Hopefully this work with the contractor can help us see where those places are and address them.”
“The spraying of adulticide and chemicals is probably the least effective way to control mosquitoes,” McCollum said. “Eliminating standing water off your property is probably the most effective.”
The projected cost for the contractor is around $114,000 per year. The current program cost is $103,000.
“Repairs to trucks and things like that add up, so it probably won’t be much of an increase at all,” McGee said.
Alderman Brian Ramsey said he is backing a change in mosquito control.
“With cases of mosquito-born illness, such as West Nile, being on the rise and having two small kids and a lot of aging adults in the community, that is something I am very interested in us addressing and finding ways to reduce the number of mosquitoes in the area,” Ramsey said.
Ramsey said the reason there is an issue with mosquitos in the city is from yards where standing water has collected.
“The problem I see is mosquitos coming from yards that have not been properly maintained,” he said. “Overgrown yards, a lot of old potting containers in the backyard that collect water, puddling water, things of that nature. That’s where so many of the mosquito problems are coming from in my opinion.”
Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water.
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency, clogged ditches, temporary pools, toys, potted plant trays and other small areas where water collects can be breeding sites for mosquitoes.
Mosquitoes can lay eggs in something as small as a bottle cap that has collected water.
Serious diseases and viruses are carried by mosquitoes, such as malaria, dengue virus, Zika and West Nile, according to the EPA. These can lead to disabling and potentially deadly effects, such as encephalitis, meningitis and microcephaly.
Mosquitoes can carry diseases and parasites that dogs and horses are susceptible to, including dog heart worms, eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile.
“It all boils down to us working to provide a good quality of life here,” McGee said of the city’s mosquito control efforts.
