Mosquito Abatement

Mosquito Hotline 800-942-2555

Mosquito Control Season

Objective
To control nuisance mosquitoes, reduce the potential of mosquito-borne disease transmission and provide a comfortable and healthy atmosphere for residents.

Program Summary
The City of St. Charles has contracted with Clarke Environmental Mosquito Management, Inc. for our mosquito abatement program. Environmentally compatible mosquito control is accomplished utilizing an integrated pest management approach, including larval control, biological control and the strategic use of U.S. Environmental Protection Agency labeled and registered pesticides for adult control. The key is to concentrate on larval control, scientifically assess the adult population, and perform adulticiding only as needed.

Larval Control
Clarke employees conduct ongoing inspections to determine larval activity. Three helicopter prehatch treatments of historical breeding areas are scheduled for early May, mid June and early July. Hand equipment and helicopters distribute Vectolex or 5% Abate Pellets. Larval development of mosquitoes in storm water catch basins generally begins in early June and takes about 10 days. Right-hand drive trucks and bicycles are used to place Altosid pellets, an insect growth regulator, into the 4,700 street catch basins, subdivision drains, roadside ditches, flood channels, ravines and other public rights-of-way. The season long pellets will be distributed in early June. The treatment lasts 120 days and prove very effective in controlling mosquitoes. Larvicide spraying of retention ponds and other standing water areas is also conducted about every 10 days and proves very effective in controlling the mosquito population.

Adult Control
Once mosquito larvae development is controlled, there is still the factor of mosquito broods migrating into the community. Mosquitoes can migrate 15 to 20 miles. Because of the spread of West Nile Virus, many surrounding communities that previously did not control mosquitoes have now initiated abatement programs. Ultra-Low Volume (ULV) adulticide is also used to spray insecticide concentrates into microscopic particles that penetrate residential areas and contact-kill adult mosquitoes 300 feet downwind. These treatments are especially important during public health emergencies and when mosquitoes become intolerable. Mosquitoes are collected from 4 collection stations throughout the City. Two new Gravid traps will collect only the type of mosquitoes that carry the virus and will help detect and monitor the populations of this variety of mosquito, When the number of mosquitoes caught in the traps reach a certain level, additional spraying may be conducted.

Residents may call Clarke Environmental Mosquito Management’s Mosquito Hotline at 800-942-2555 to report extreme mosquito annoyance, request information, report stagnant water or request notification of when trucks will be spraying in their neighborhoods. Standing water reports are referred to field inspectors. Call Public Works at 630-377-4405 if you need further information.

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updated Jun 29, 2023

 

More info

Residents may also call Clarke Environmental Mosquito Management, Inc., at 800-942-2555 for additional information. Questions on the City’s program may also be directed to the Public Works office, at 630-377-4405, which administers the program.