Metropolitan Mosquito Control District warns cattail mosquito spike likely; Anoka County to add treatments and drones

The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District told the Anoka County Board on April 7 that heavy rains last year mean a significant rise in cattail-associated mosquito breeding is likely this summer, and the district is expanding treatments in Anoka County to get ahead of the expected spike.

In a presentation to the board, MMCD Executive Director Daniel Huff and Public Affairs Manager Alex Carlson described how the district monitors and treats mosquitoes across a 2,900-square-mile service area that serves more than 3 million people. Alex Carlson said MMCD focuses on larval surveillance and targeted larval control, using materials he described as “very safe” and specific to mosquito larvae. “Our main active ingredient is BTI, which has been used for decades and and widely shown to only target mosquito larvae,” Carlson said.

Why this matters: Mosquitoes can spread diseases such as West Nile virus, Jamestown Canyon…