Spraying for adult mosquito outbreaks occurs on an as-needed basis. As such, we make daily decisions based on the data gathered from our traps set across the county, observations from field technicians, and service requests from the citizens. The Program Director considers multiple factors each day before assigning spray truck routes including:
- Mosquito species-specific factors such as population density, breeding habitat, migration pattern, peak activity time, preferred blood source, disease-capability, and chemical susceptibility
- Community-specific factors such as potential for negative economic or quality of life impact, susceptible populations such as the young, elderly, or immune-compromised, local events and outdoor activities, public concerns
- Environmental factors such as weather conditions (including temperature, rain, and wind), and protection of non-target organisms and ecosystems
This allows us to assign spray trucks where the chemical application is most needed and will be most effective. By using this scientifically justified approach we can be good stewards of the environment while protecting human health using the appropriate chemicals and amounts sufficient to minimize the negative impact of the vector while avoiding any unnecessary risk.
From a logistics standpoint, we are not able to contact every citizen prior to spraying. You can request to be placed on the no-spray list or request to be sprayed by calling 912-217-6300.
