Mosquito Control

Mosquito Prevention & Control Plan

The City of Brookings' Mosquito Control Program is integrated within the Street Department. Our mission is to control mosquito larvae within the City of Brookings and the outlying areas. This includes approximately 13.25 square miles in the City and approximately a one-mile buffer around the city limits. Our goal is to keep the nuisance problem and the West Nile virus threat as low as humanly possible. This is done through the identification, mapping and treatment (larviciding) of potential mosquito breeding grounds such as standing water, tall slough grasses, wooded areas, bike paths, walking trails, soccer fields, softball fields, drainage ditches, tire piles and catch basins.

Habitat & Breeding Sites

CO2/light traps are used for monitoring mosquito populations and establishing a threshold for adulticiding. The traps are circulated along high traffic areas such as city parks, bike trails, softball fields, and other potential mosquito habitat and harborage areas.

Locations of larval and adult mosquito populations and breeding sites are recorded and targeted as needed. All control efforts are recorded by date, time, treatment substance used, wind direction, wind velocity, etc.

Source Reduction

We are continually improving drainage in our geographic area by reshaping right-of-way ditches and filling low land areas. The Street Department works cooperatively with the Brookings Municipal Utilities Department by contracting its sewer vacuum truck to clean culverts and catch basins. The Brookings Regional Landfill also holds an annual Spring Cleanup for Brookings residents. Labor and equipment are pooled from several city departments, including the Street Department.

Larval Control

Methods used for larval control are: spraying standing water, treating remote wetlands with 150-day briquettes or 30-day pellets and treating catch basins with pellets to control breeding sites.

Control of Adult Mosquitoes

The trails and parks are treated, as needed, using a mist blower for a barrier treatment. Other areas are treated similarly before any community event when traffic is high. All pesticides are used strictly according to the product label.

Certification & Staffing

Our Mosquito Control Program consists of two full-time employees who dedicate 97% of their time from April through October to the program. Mosquito control personnel attend annual recertification classes, attend mosquito control seminars and work closely with the South Dakota State University (SDSU) Extension entomologist and SDSU Extension pesticide education coordinator.

Information on West Nile Virus

Information regarding the West Nile virus may be obtained from the following sources.