Mosquitos reported as less severe after new treatment

If you are finding it more enjoyable sitting outside on the patio this summer, there’s a reason.

Mosquitos! Or really, the lack of them.

Grant County Mosquito District 2 officials used a new granular product this year in an aerial treatment around the shore of Banks Lake.

The application came in May, and mosquito officials reported last week that it was “very effective.”

Officials had planned for a second aerial application this season, if needed, but it appears that this might not be necessary.

District Secretary Carl Russell said that district commissioners have heard people say, “Where are the mosquitos?”

Last season, commissioners OKed the purchase of an organic granular larvacide and chemicals for their fogging operation, to the tune of about $97,000.

“The products being used around the lake are safe and more environmentally friendly,” Russell stated.

Russell said the granules dropped from the air are certified as organic by the Organic Materials Review Institute, a nonprofit organization that provides an independent review of products, such as fertilizers and pest controls.

The aerial application was done by Grant County Mosquito District 1, under an agreement between the two districts. The application of larvacide was made to the first 90 feet of shoreline where larvae is produced. The lake was five feet down at the time of the application, making the application even more effective, Russell explained.

Grant County Mosquito District 2 area stretches from the south end of Steamboat Rock to the Grant, Lincoln and Douglas County lines.

Russell also said that the “fogging” chemical has been changed to a product with a kill ratio of about 80-90 percent, compared to the chemical used in prior years that had a kill ratio of 40-50 percent.

“The products now being used are actually certified by the Environmental Protection Agency for use in an around agriculture products,” Russell stated. The new chemical product was started in July last year, and is odorless, he said.

Commissioners hired Lisa Allen as the new district clerk at their last meeting.