Mosquito Abatement
Environmental Mosquito Management Program
The Village of Lake Zurich entered into an Environmental Mosquito Management (EMM) Program with Clarke Mosquito Control. Their program includes:
Village of Lake Zurich has an integrated approach to mosquito control designed to reduce the population of nuisance mosquitoes and mosquitoes that are active carriers of diseases like West Nile Virus. This effort helps foster a healthy atmosphere for community residents.
The Environmental Mosquito Management™ process is the core of the Village's integrated pest management philosophy. This process places emphasis on surveying and mapping potential breeding sites, surveillance, and monitoring of adult mosquito populations and the use of the Targeted Mosquito Management System™.
What is the Environmental Mosquito Management Process?
The process emphasizes control of the mosquito larvae in their breeding sites to prevent the development of adult mosquitoes. The program begins with an aerial survey of the Village to map potential breeding sites. Potential breeding sites include retention ponds, drainage ditches, wetlands or low areas that tend to hold water. This serves as the foundation of the program.
The Village's mosquito control program begins in May with the first of a series of twelve inspections of over 140 potential breeding areas mapped within the Village. Inspections are performed by taking water samples at potential sites. All mosquito samples are returned and identified in Clarke's laboratory with that information placed into their database. Interaction between site information and history files produces a field inspection and control strategy for each site. Targeted sites, those with a history of breeding, are marked for intensive inspections and are inspected more often. These inspections and the treatment of sites found breeding mosquitoes will continue through September.
Over a typical summer over 250 acres or the area the size of around 250 football fields will be treated by hand, backpack and helicopter within the Village to help reduce nuisance mosquito populations and prevent the spread of West Nile Virus. In fact, eighty-one acres are targeted for helicopter larvicide applications due to their inaccessibility by ground and their prolific ability to breed mosquitoes. Additionally, the Village's street side catch basins and inlets are treated in June by public works staff to help reduce mosquito breeding in the underground water system.
The Village has a light trap within the scope of the program to help monitor adult mosquito populations. The Village's trap allows us to determine the density and distribution of mosquito species, three times per week over an 18 week period. An additional three traps are set within the Township help monitor the West Nile Virus risk.
Please note, adult mosquito control is traditionally only performed to reduce the risk of mosquito borne disease such as West Nile Virus.
West Nile Virus
To prevent the development and spread of West Niles Virus, local municipal mosquito control agencies have treated catch basins, storm sewers, culverts, and standing water habitats.
Storm sewer catch basins become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. While stagnate water is present, CULEX female mosquitoes will lay eggs on a daily basis. Eggs hatch everyday and newly emerged adult mosquitoes fly away to feed on birds, animals or humans.
The Public Works Department during the months of June through September performs catch basin treatments to assist in the control of the mosquito population. Briquets are dropped into the catch basin and their residual control can last from 30-150 wet days depending upon formulation.
Your Responsibility
Your responsibility as a property owner is to clear your property of any potential breeding sites and prevent any problem areas from reoccurring. Mosquitoes are an all too familiar summer nuisance. They are not only annoying, but they can be the transmitters of encephalitis, malaria, and yellow fever to humans and heart worm to pets.
The Village of Lake Zurich entered into an Environmental Mosquito Management (EMM) Program with Clarke Mosquito Control. Their program includes:
- Aerial survey and digital mapping
- Educational brochures
- Helicopter pre-hatch pellet treatments of known breeding areas
- Mosquito-borne disease monitoring
- Public relations
Village of Lake Zurich has an integrated approach to mosquito control designed to reduce the population of nuisance mosquitoes and mosquitoes that are active carriers of diseases like West Nile Virus. This effort helps foster a healthy atmosphere for community residents.
The Environmental Mosquito Management™ process is the core of the Village's integrated pest management philosophy. This process places emphasis on surveying and mapping potential breeding sites, surveillance, and monitoring of adult mosquito populations and the use of the Targeted Mosquito Management System™.
What is the Environmental Mosquito Management Process?
The process emphasizes control of the mosquito larvae in their breeding sites to prevent the development of adult mosquitoes. The program begins with an aerial survey of the Village to map potential breeding sites. Potential breeding sites include retention ponds, drainage ditches, wetlands or low areas that tend to hold water. This serves as the foundation of the program.
The Village's mosquito control program begins in May with the first of a series of twelve inspections of over 140 potential breeding areas mapped within the Village. Inspections are performed by taking water samples at potential sites. All mosquito samples are returned and identified in Clarke's laboratory with that information placed into their database. Interaction between site information and history files produces a field inspection and control strategy for each site. Targeted sites, those with a history of breeding, are marked for intensive inspections and are inspected more often. These inspections and the treatment of sites found breeding mosquitoes will continue through September.
Over a typical summer over 250 acres or the area the size of around 250 football fields will be treated by hand, backpack and helicopter within the Village to help reduce nuisance mosquito populations and prevent the spread of West Nile Virus. In fact, eighty-one acres are targeted for helicopter larvicide applications due to their inaccessibility by ground and their prolific ability to breed mosquitoes. Additionally, the Village's street side catch basins and inlets are treated in June by public works staff to help reduce mosquito breeding in the underground water system.
The Village has a light trap within the scope of the program to help monitor adult mosquito populations. The Village's trap allows us to determine the density and distribution of mosquito species, three times per week over an 18 week period. An additional three traps are set within the Township help monitor the West Nile Virus risk.
Please note, adult mosquito control is traditionally only performed to reduce the risk of mosquito borne disease such as West Nile Virus.
West Nile Virus
To prevent the development and spread of West Niles Virus, local municipal mosquito control agencies have treated catch basins, storm sewers, culverts, and standing water habitats.
Storm sewer catch basins become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. While stagnate water is present, CULEX female mosquitoes will lay eggs on a daily basis. Eggs hatch everyday and newly emerged adult mosquitoes fly away to feed on birds, animals or humans.
The Public Works Department during the months of June through September performs catch basin treatments to assist in the control of the mosquito population. Briquets are dropped into the catch basin and their residual control can last from 30-150 wet days depending upon formulation.
Your Responsibility
Your responsibility as a property owner is to clear your property of any potential breeding sites and prevent any problem areas from reoccurring. Mosquitoes are an all too familiar summer nuisance. They are not only annoying, but they can be the transmitters of encephalitis, malaria, and yellow fever to humans and heart worm to pets.