Weather permitting, spraying will continue each Sunday evening from approximately 7:30pm-10:30pm into early September, or as needed based on weather and mosquito populations.
The City is spraying to kill adult mosquitos that may be carrying West Nile Virus (WNV). WNV poses a serious public health concern in our community, since it can cause serious illness in people. The culex tarsalis mosquito, which carries WNV, is more common in the late summer.
Spraying does not kill all of the mosquitos. Spraying is just one of several ways the City is trying to protect people from WNV. The City has eliminated many standing water problems and treated other areas with larvacide to kill mosquitos before they become adults. Individual protection at the citizen lavel is the most efficient and effective way to fight mosquitos.
• Avoid going outside during dawn and dusk. If you do go out, wear a long sleeved shirt and pants
• Use a mosquito repellant that contains DEET and use it according to the label (do not use on infants under 2 months of age)
• Get rid of any standing water near your home
The City operates calibrated safe equipment that converts liquid pesticide into a very fine mist. The technical name for this is Ultra Low Volume (ULV ) spraying. Only 1.5 ounces of the pesticide product is needed to treat an area of land aobu the size of a football field. Under the most favorable conditions, mosquitos will be controlled up to 300 feed downwind. The equipment is noisy when it operates.
The pesticide ANVIL 2+2, is a premixed, ready-to-use product that contains two active ingredients: Sumithrin (2%) and piperonyl butoxide (2%). Sumithrin is a manmade version of a natural pesticide found in chrysanthemum flowers. It is a pyrethroid pesticide and is available for sale in stores in products used to control ticks, fleas, and ants. Piperonyl butoxide helps Sumithrin work better against mosquitos. ANVIL 2+2 is registered with the US EPA and is effective against mosquitos that carry WNV.
ANVIL 2+2 is one of the least toxic pesticides to humans available. Citizens who do not wish to have their property sprayed, need to contact the City by 3pm on Fridays. For documentation purposes, citizens will need to provide their name, address, and telephone number. The City of Sidney will not spray within one block of any residence that is placed on the list. However, reduc ing mosquito populations will greatly reduce the number of people that get sick or die from WNV. ANVIL 2+2 breaks down rapidly in sunlight and water an poses very minimal environmental concerns. The ingredients in ANVIL 2+2 are not corrosive and will not damage paint.