Sioux Falls Taking Steps to Eradicate Blood Suckers

With the start of summer, and all the hot, humid, warm weather that comes along with it, Sioux Falls is being proactive in cutting down the mosquito population here in the city.

Dakota News Now reports that cases of the West Nile Virus have already been popping up in neighboring states like Iowa and North Dakota. Fortunately, no cases have been reported yet in South Dakota. The city of Sioux Falls is doing its part to help keep it that way by putting together a mosquito control game plan.

The city has 15 different people tasked right now with the job of working weekdays from 8 to 5 identifying standing water sources throughout the city.

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According to Dakota News Now, there are over 40 different types of mosquitoes found in South Dakota. Generally, only five, however, tend to spread diseases like the West Nile Virus.

But that's not stopping Sioux Falls from taking steps to nip our potential blood-sucker problem in the bud before the threat of West Nile even arises.

Vector Control Program Coordinator Denise Patton, told Dakota News Now, the city plans on using Aqua-Reslin again this summer.

Aqua-Reslin is a water-based insecticide that is environmentally safe and proven to be very effective in combating mosquitoes near standing water in public spaces. It also leaves no trace within fifteen minutes of being applied.

To help control the mosquito population, the city divides Sioux Falls into different zones.

As Patton told Dakota News Now, "We take the entire city and we divided it into 18 different zones. Each of those zones has, at minimum, one trap in it and that trap is not meant to collect all the mosquitoes in that area. It’s just meant to give us a representative example or sampling of the kinds of mosquitoes that are there.”

Sioux Falls also has plans in the near future to launch a new mosquito control method called biological control. According to Patton, this method uses a device that resembles a flower pot. The device is designed to attract females that are ready to lay eggs. There’s a biological control that will prevent any sort of replication.

If you're looking for the best way to protect yourself and your family this summer against a variety of diseases mosquitoes can transmit, Patton suggests using plain old mosquito repellant. It's still a great deterrent against those tiny little blood-suckers.

Other proven methods include steering clear of standing water sources and wearing light-colored long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks.

Source: Dakota News Now