The City of Snyder will spray for mosquitoes for the next four weeks.
According to Public Works Director Eli Torres, recent storms, warm weather and standing water in the fields make for ideal breeding conditions.
“The city has been treating the majority of the areas on public property with larvicide inside the city limits,” Torres said. “Unfortunately every time it rains it washes out the larvicide. Standing water in the surrounding fields and pastures is also adding to the mosquito population.”
Torres said the spray the city dispenses treats mosquitoes that have already hatched.
“What the City sprays is an adulticide and only is effective on mosquitoes that have hatched. It has a 65 to 85 percent effective rate. If the mosquitoes are out and weather conditions are ideal the effectiveness of the fogging is higher,” Torres said.
Weather conditions play a crucial role in the spray’s effectiveness.
“Wind speeds have to be less than 10 miles per hour,” Torres said.
He offered suggestions for how residents can help eliminate, or at least cut down the number of mosquitoes before they become a problem.
“The best way to help control the mosquito population is to get rid of standing water in bird baths, flower pots and unclean swimming pools, as well as mowing lawns and cutting tall weeds. A mosquito egg only needs about a half an inch of standing water to survive,” he said.
Torres said after four weeks the city will evaluate the situation and determine whether additional spraying is needed.
Weather permitting, Torres said the spraying schedule will be: Tuesdays, spraying the West side of College Ave.; Wednesdays, spraying the East side of College Ave.; and Thursdays spraying north of Huffman Avenue and in Hermleigh, Fluvanna and Ira.
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