topic Re: Mosquito control in Community Chat

Mosquito control

SunSprite — Sun, 17 May 2020 19:54:25 GMT

I've been a light sleeper for the past couple of years (sometimes a "no sleeper") and I always wake up when the mosquito control truck comes through in the middle of the night once a week/or two weeks. It's a loud and clunky truck.

Anyway, it's become a habit over time to get up and look out my window as the truck goes through.

(and then I hit the restroom)

When it came through the other night I was floored. I've never seen the massive cloud of chemicals coming out of the truck that I saw the other night. I'm going to call that abatement office tomorrow and ask if something has changed and why.....it was that much of a difference over what they normally do.

Just curious if anyone else has noticed a tremendous increase in treatment? I was so glad I had my windows closed as I usually sleep with at least one of the upstairs windows cracked just a bit. I'm not sure I will do that any more.

Also wondering if this is just a southeast region thing or does this go on around the country?

Re: Mosquito control

SharkE — Sun, 17 May 2020 19:57:06 GMT

Wish Amarillo, Tx would spray for moths. Dang ! moths!

Re: Mosquito control

FastDogWalker2 — Sun, 17 May 2020 19:58:09 GMT

Now that you mention it, the "mosquito" truck has not been around yet. I live in a resort city in the SE and we are very dependent on tourist dollars and it makes me wonder if the city has cut down on mosquito treatment because of reduced tourist revenue.

Re: Mosquito control

KKJ — Sun, 17 May 2020 20:01:41 GMT

My town in KS sprays every summer using one of these trucks and I hate it. The smell gags me (even tho the city says the mist is odorless--yeah right!) Not sure how "safe" these chemicals are either.

Re: Mosquito control

KKJ — Sun, 17 May 2020 20:05:17 GMT

@SharkE wrote:
Wish Amarillo, Tx would spray for moths. Dang ! moths!

My son lives in TX (Houston) and mosquitos there are horrible! When I visit in summer I get eaten alive. The humidity there is unbearable!

Re: Mosquito control

SunSprite — Sun, 17 May 2020 20:09:30 GMT

I learned after I moved here that we are on a heavy rotation for treatment due to a large pond close by (I can see it from my upstairs window).

But I agree about questioning the safety of those chemicals.

Particularly after seeing the amount coming out of truck.

Maybe they are anticpating a bumper crop season or something. I'll be interested in hearing what they say.

Re: Mosquito control

KKJ — Sun, 17 May 2020 20:15:58 GMT

We had the truck spraying every summer until last year when the city stopped it as not enough money in the budget for it. But then ciitizens complained about not being able to stay outside during summer so they plan to resume spraying this summer. How does your town do it? Our town sprays east side of town 2 days a wk and west side the other days.

Re: Mosquito control

SharkE — Sun, 17 May 2020 20:17:35 GMT

@KKJ

our humidity is 20% and lower a lot of the months. We're no where near water. My hair never was straight till I moved to Amarillo. We haven't seen mosquitoes, lady bugs or ticks.

Nothing can survive down here with no humidity and hardly rains.

Re: Mosquito control

itsmagic — Sun, 17 May 2020 20:27:58 GMT

I live in the Midwest and I’ve never heard of a mosquito control truck. We do have companies that we can pay to come and spray our yards but we’ve never done it. Some years I don’t notice any mosquitoes and others I do. Depends on how much rain we get in the spring.

Re: Mosquito control

Kachina624 — Sun, 17 May 2020 22:02:33 GMT

@SharkE Spray won't help. They'll go away soon as the migrate to higher elevations. Some years are worse than others; this year is bad.

Re: Mosquito control

Kachina624 — Sun, 17 May 2020 22:05:36 GMT

@KKJ wrote:
@SharkE wrote:
Wish Amarillo, Tx would spray for moths. Dang ! moths!
My son lives in TX (Houston) and mosquitos there are horrible! When I visit in summer I get eaten alive. The humidity there is unbearable!

@KKJ I lived there over 30 years. IMO Houston is not fit for human habitation. Mosquitos are just one of many problems.

Re: Mosquito control

Chicagosuburbangirl — Sun, 17 May 2020 23:41:06 GMT

Usually our town sneaks in the mosquito truck this time of year at about one a.m.

I would like some notice too, so my bedroom windows won't be open.

Re: Mosquito control

KKJ — Mon, 18 May 2020 00:02:54 GMT

@Kachina624 wrote:
@KKJ wrote:
@SharkE wrote:
Wish Amarillo, Tx would spray for moths. Dang ! moths!
My son lives in TX (Houston) and mosquitos there are horrible! When I visit in summer I get eaten alive. The humidity there is unbearable!
@KKJ I lived there over 30 years. IMO Houston is not fit for human habitation. Mosquitos are just one of many problems.

Interesting you say that as I talked to a guy recently who lived many places in the US and said Houston was by far the WORST. He minced no words and said it was a h*llhole with not nice people and bad drivers, and he went on and on!

Re: Mosquito control

Still Raining — Mon, 18 May 2020 00:58:39 GMT

I had no idea that this is ever done. Interesting. Not sure i would like the fumes and residue all over.

Re: Mosquito control

Kachina624 — Mon, 18 May 2020 18:54:14 GMT

There are many of us who remember those trucks fumigating us with DDT. It's a wonder we haven't all died of cancer...or worse.

DDT - Main hazards: Toxic, dangerous to the environment, likely carcinogenic

Re: Mosquito control

KKJ — Mon, 18 May 2020 19:03:49 GMT

I heard the stuff that's sprayed from the mosquito trucks now is Malathion. Not sure though, or how toxic it is.

Re: Mosquito control

SunSprite — Mon, 18 May 2020 22:48:42 GMT

I did call (had to call twice, first time I got a no one available message) and was assured there was no difference in dosing.

Sorry, I saw it with my own eyes and it was a lot more coming out of that sprayer. They said not though. I guess it is possible the truck was malfunctioning or something. Who knows.

They also said they had increased their servicing schedule due to predicted rain over the next few days.

Re: Mosquito control

FlyersGirl — Tue, 19 May 2020 00:11:36 GMT

@Kachina624 wrote:
There are many of us who remember those trucks fumigating us with DDT. It's a wonder we haven't all died of cancer...or worse.

DDT - Main hazards: Toxic, dangerous to the environment, likely carcinogenic

My Grandmother's house was on the Barnegat Bay In NJ. I spent most of my childhood summers there. Lots of mosquitos by the Bay. The trucks came around once a week spraying that nasty stuff. We knew the day of the week the truck was expected but not the exact time.If we were outside when the truck came we would fly into the house and quickly close every window. Some kids actually followed the truck on their bikes!

Re: Mosquito control

proudlyfromNJ — Tue, 19 May 2020 00:39:32 GMT

@FlyersGirl wrote:
@Kachina624 wrote:
There are many of us who remember those trucks fumigating us with DDT. It's a wonder we haven't all died of cancer...or worse.

DDT - Main hazards: Toxic, dangerous to the environment, likely carcinogenic
My Grandmother's house was on the Barnegat Bay In NJ. I spent most of my childhood summers there. Lots of mosquitos by the Bay. The trucks came around once a week spraying that nasty stuff. We knew the day of the week the truck was expected but not the exact time.If we were outside when the truck came we would fly into the house and quickly close every window. Some kids actually followed the truck on their bikes!

@FlyersGirl That's what we did! Follow the truck on our bikes or run after it!