Mosquito Abatement

Mosquito Hotline 800-942-2555

Recommended actions: Call the Mosquito Hotline at (800) 942-2555 to report stagnant water. Get rid of old tires, tin cans, buckets, drums, bottles, or any water holding containers sitting outside. Fill in or drain any low places in the yard. Cover trash containers to keep out rainwater. Empty plastic wading pools at least once a week and store indoors when not in use. Change the water in birdbaths and planters frequently. Keep grass cut short and shrubbery well trimmed around the house. Nothing will give you and your family better protection from mosquitoes than using repellent with the recommended level of Deet for the age group you are protecting.

Mosquito Control Season Update for 2009

Information received from Clarke Mosquito Control on May 21, 2009

Recent rainfall will trigger hatches of the floodwater mosquito Aedes Vexans, the dominant annoyance species, in northern Illinois.

For 2009, we are anticipating an above normal beginning to the mosquito season because of the following precipitation pattern over the past eight months:

• Record rainfall amount in September and October 2008
• Record snowfall in December
• Continuous recent heavy spring rainfalls

The replenished soil moisture could trigger an above average season for the floodwater mosquito.  Eggs of this most prevalent nuisance species remain viable on intermittently dry ground for four to six years.  Heavy rainfall events can quickly hatch large broods.  As always, the key variables for mosquito production are precipitation, temperature and soil moisture conditions.

The City’s mosquito control service company, Clarke Mosquito Control, has been gearing up for the season and is prepared to serve the community with the appropriate mosquito control measures.  The following is an operational update from Clarke:

• Seasonal labor has been hired and trained
• Operational maps have been updated for the 2009 season
• The Aedes vexans brood prediction model has been initiated
• Inspection and treatment of known floodplain and larval development sites has begun
• The light trap network went operational on May 18
• The first round of street catch basins will start before the end of May
• The scheduling of the helicopter prehatch application (if contracted) will be determined soon. Due to the above average rainfall pattern, a late May or early June application may be appropriate.
• Adult mosquito control ULV spray equipment is being characterized and calibrated
• Truck ultra-low volume (ULV) applications will be performed on an as needed basis, warranted by surveillance databases.

The Clarke Mosquito Hotline (1-800-942-2555) is now available for citizen feedback.  Residents may call the Mosquito Hotline to be placed on the spraying notification list.

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The objective of the City’s mosquito control (abatement) program is to control nuisance mosquitoes, reduce the potential of mosquito-borne disease transmission, and provide a comfortable and healthy atmosphere for residents. We contract with Clarke Environmental Mosquito Management, Inc., for the abatement program. They use 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 concentration is on larval control and close adult population monitoring, with adulticiding only as needed.

Resources/Links

• Summary of Clarke Environmental Mosquito Management services performed in St. Charles
• Mosquitos and West Nile Virus - http://www.dupagehealth.org/gen_info/pr2005/west-nile.html
• Ticks and Lime Disease - http://www.dupagehealth.org/gen_info/pr2005/ticks.html

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.

updated 12/1/08