Larviciding is a method of preventing mosquito larvae or pupae from emerging from water as adults. The City uses a number of products that are OMRI (Organic Materials Review Institute) listed. City Health staff checks bodies of water for evidence of breeding prior to treatment with the most appropriate product.

One item, Natular DT, is individually labeled and available for residents to purchase. A property inspection may be required.

Adulticiding, or killing adult mosquitoes, is accomplished with an ultra-low volume sprayer, operated by public health specialists licensed by the Missouri Department of Agriculture. The sprayer is electric and durable, allowing the City to be more earth-friendly and efficient with products, through variable flow with GPS sensing.

All areas of the City are sprayed on a regular basis during twilight hours. The City schedules spraying in parks and on trails for most Fridays and occasionally for special events.

Natural control efforts are useful when possible, so the City installs bat and purple martin houses in parks and public grounds. The City also enforces weed cutting on vacant ground to minimize mosquito hiding and resting places.

Mosquitoes can develop from eggs to adults in as little as seven days and very little water is needed to become a home to mosquito eggs-even a tray under a flowerpot can hatch mosquitoes. Therefore, it's important to actively remove standing water from your property.

1. Once a week, empty and scrub, turn over, cover, or throw out items that hold water, such as tires, buckets, planters, toys, pools, birdbaths, flowerpots, or trash containers. Check inside and outside your home.
2. Tightly cover water storage containers (buckets, cisterns, rain barrels) so that mosquitoes cannot get inside to lay eggs.
3. For containers without lids, use wire mesh with holes smaller than an adult mosquito.

Residents concerned about reducing mosquitoes on their property may request a property inspection to identify any missed breeding areas. In an area with numerous concerns, an Environmental Health Officer will generally offer inspections to neighboring residents. If you have removed all of the standing water from your property and would like a property inspection, please enter a concern or leave a voicemail.

Aside from being itchy and annoying, the bite of an infected female mosquito can spread viruses such as West Nile, dengue, chikungunya, or Zika. People may become infected after being bitten by an infected mosquito. Different types of mosquitoes bite during different times of the day and/or night. Since there are no vaccines or medications to prevent or treat these viruses, the best thing to do is prevent transmission. Some prevention tips follow:

Keep Mosquitoes out of Your Home

• Use screens on windows and doors.
• Repair holes in screens.
• Use air conditioning when available.

Prevent Mosquito Bites

Use Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered insect repellents. When used as directed, these repellents are proven safe and effective, even for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Always follow product label instructions and reapply as directed.

Outdoor workers may need to use sunscreen in conjunction with insect repellent. Repellents that are applied according to label instructions may be used with sunscreen with no reduction in repellent activity. However, limited data show a one-third decrease in the sun protection factor (SPF) of sunscreens when DEET-containing insect repellents are used after a sunscreen is applied. Products that combine sunscreen and repellent are not recommended, because sunscreen may need to be reapplied more often and in larger amounts than needed for the repellent component to provide protection from biting insects. The best option is to use separate products, applying sunscreen first and then applying the repellent. Due to the decrease in SPF when using a DEET-containing insect repellent after applying sunscreen, users may need to reapply the sunscreen more frequently.