To help control mosquito population, residents are advised to take precautions to reduce mosquitoes around their homes. (PN File Photo)
As summer approaches, the City of Naperville’s mosquito abatement program is well underway. The City uses larval control, mosquito monitoring and targeted spraying to control the mosquito population. Residents can take several precautions residents to avoid mosquito bites and reduce the number of mosquitoes around their homes.
Remove standing water wherever possible
To help control the mosquito population in Naperville, City crews inspect for and remove standing water wherever possible and treat ponds, marsh areas and catch basins throughout the City to target the mosquito in the larval stage. The City continuously monitors and tests its 11 mosquito traps each week to evaluate the effectiveness of larval control, provide early warnings when the adult populations are rising and test for West Nile Virus. When necessary, the City uses spraying to control the adult mosquito population. In these cases, the City uses the safest chemicals available in very low volumes and sprays only as needed. All products used by our program are registered for use in residential areas by the EPA and are recommended by the EPA and CDC to mitigate outbreaks of mosquito-borne disease.
Reduce mosquitoes to help prevent West Nile disease
West Nile Virus is a mosquito-borne virus that is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird. Most people infected with the West Nile Virus have no symptoms or experience very mild symptoms three to 14 days after the bite of an infected mosquito. Mild symptoms include a fever, headache and body aches, occasionally with a skin rash on the torso of the body and swollen lymph glands. Less than one percent of infected people with West Nile Virus will develop severe symptoms. Persons older than 50 years of age have the highest risk of severe disease.
The best way to prevent West Nile disease or any other mosquito-borne illness is to reduce the number of mosquitoes around your home and take personal precautions to avoid mosquito bites.
Take precautions to avoid mosquito bites
- Reduce mosquito breeding sites: Eliminate stagnant water in birdbaths, ponds, flowerpots, wading pools, old tires and any other receptacles in which mosquitoes might breed.
- Wear protective clothing: Whenever outdoors between dusk and dawn, wear shoes and socks, long pants and a long-sleeved shirt. Loose-fitting, light-colored clothing is best.
- Apply repellent: Use mosquito repellent containing 25 percent to 35 percent DEET when it is necessary to be outdoors, applied sparingly to skin or clothing, as indicated on the repellent label. Consult a physician before using repellents on young children.
- Reduce mosquito hiding places: Check for and repair any tears in residential screens and keep your yard well-maintained by cutting grass short and trimming shrubbery to remove mosquito hiding spots.
For more information, visit www.naperville.il.us/mosquitocontrol.
