Oswego Begins Mosquito Control Season

Submitted by the City of Oswego

Oswego has begun its annual efforts to minimize mosquito populations and help reduce the risk of West Nile Virus to preserve the comfort and health of residents.

The Village has contracted with St. Charles-based Clarke to conduct its mosquito control operations. So far this year, Clarke has mapped mosquito breeding sites and has begun treating those sites with Natular, an OMRI-listed larvicide to prevent mosquito eggs from hatching into adult mosquitoes.

Oswego’s adult mosquito control operations will begin when surveillance detects a rise in adult mosquito populations or the presence of West Nile Virus or other mosquito-borne disease.

“West Nile Virus is a rare but serious disease transmitted from bird to mosquito to human,” said George Balis, entomologist for Clarke, the Village’s contractor for larviciding and surveillance operations. “West Nile is endemic to the Chicago area and can resurface at any time, given the right weather conditions.”

Both larviciding (eliminating mosquito larvae) and adulticiding are part of Oswego’s comprehensive mosquito control program. Larviciding involves treating catch basins, storm drains and standing water with biological insecticides that are designed to attack the mosquito in the aquatic larval stage before they are air borne,. Adulticiding involves dispersing an ultra-low volume product through truck mounted sprayers that interacts with mosquitoes on the wing to reduce adult populations.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Joint Statement on Mosquito Control in the United States, “All insecticides used in the U.S. for public health use have been approved and registered by the EPA following the review of many scientific studies. The EPA has assessed these chemicals and found that, when used according to label directions, they do not pose unreasonable risk to public health and the environment.”

Mosquitoes become infected with West Nile after biting a bird that harbors the illness, and human infection may occur after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Most people who become infected with West Nile virus do not experience symptoms or become ill. West Nile virus can cause encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the lining of the brain and spinal cord). In some individuals, West Nile encephalitis can be a serious disease and is potentially fatal. Symptoms generally occur 3 to 14 days following the bite of an infected mosquito.

Most mosquitoes do not carry West Nile virus, and a person who is bitten by a mosquito does not need to be tested for the disease. Any individual who develops symptoms such as high fever, confusion, muscle weakness, severe headaches, or a stiff neck should see a doctor immediately. Diagnosis is made through a blood test, but no specific medication exists to treat or cure the disease.

Health officials recommend that people take the following steps to help reduce the risk of contracting any mosquito-borne disease.

• Apply insect repellent that include DEET, picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535 according to label instructions. Consult a physician before using repellents on infants.
• Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn.
• When outdoors, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt
• Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens. Repair or replace screens that have tears or other openings. Try to keep doors and windows shut, especially at night.
• Eliminate all sources of standing water that can support mosquito breeding, including water in bird baths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires and any other receptacles.