Laramie outlines data‑driven mosquito control: larval surveillance, two adult spray events and outreach emphasized

Laramie — The City of Laramie presented its integrated mosquito pest‑management program to the City Council, describing a surveillance‑led approach that prioritizes larval control, routine adult trapping and targeted aerial operations to reduce nuisance mosquitoes and lower West Nile virus risk.

Hunter Dearman, the city’s mosquito/IPM supervisor, said the program’s twin goals are West Nile virus prevention and nuisance reduction and emphasized that larval habitat identification and treatment are the most effective long‑term controls. “It’s called pest management, not pest eradication,” Dearman told the council, adding that the program combines mapped larval sites, daily adult traps and both hand‑applied and aerial larvicide operations.

Why it matters: Laramie’s program aims to reduce biting pressure during summer peak weeks and to track Culex (West Nile virus vector) numbers later in the season. Dearman and staff said local surveillance and rapid lab testing let the city detect infected mosquito pools quickly and tailor responses, including public notices when positive pools occur.

Program details and operations

- Surveillance: The program maintains more than 170 mapped larval sites and about 18 adult trap locations inside the city and on city ranch properties. Staff said they run traps Sunday through Friday during the season and use CDC light traps baited with CO2 to target species that feed on mammals.

- Larval treatment: The city deploys granular and longer‑lasting biological larvicides (bacterial products) by hand, ATV and backpack on mapped sites; Dearman said some larvicides provide protection of 7–10 days while specialty products last 30–140 days for hard‑to‑reach spots.

- Aerial operations: The city plans a large aerial larvicide application in early June covering roughly 4,500 acres of regularly flooded land, plus two adult aerial operations timed to reduce population peaks (Dearman said the program shifted to one larvicide aerial and two adult aerials to optimize effectiveness). Dearman stressed that fogging and adulticide applications produce short‑term knockdown of adults but leave little or no residual protection, so larval control is the main long‑term tool.

- Chemical choices and safety: In response to a public question, staff said the city uses dibrom for adulticide operations (not malathion) and that malathion has not been used locally in recent years; a staff member said records indicate the last malathion use was around 2014–2015. Dearman described calibration and label compliance steps intended to limit non‑target effects and to reduce risk to bees and other beneficial species.

- Program limits and community options: The city offers a “no‑spray” opt‑out program that currently covers 99 properties; fogging crews switch off when crossing an enrolled property line. Dearman noted applications cannot proceed when temperature is below 50°F or wind is above 10 mph, per label restrictions.

Public health and outreach

Dearman described on‑site lab testing the city runs to detect West Nile virus in mosquito pools, which provides same‑day or near‑real‑time results compared with sending samples to a state lab. He said most infections are asymptomatic and that severe disease is rare but concentrated in older or immunocompromised people. The city runs public education (PSAs), school outreach and an annual Mosquito Awareness Week proclamation, and staff said they post daily updates online showing planned spray areas.

Council and public reaction

Council members asked practical questions about the limits of fogging and how quickly mosquito populations can rebound with wind‑borne influxes; Dearman acknowledged that Laramie’s landscape and prevailing winds bring mosquitoes from irrigated lands and ranches outside the city, meaning adulticide provides temporary relief while larval interventions and aerial larviciding reduce reproduction sources. Public commenters asked about insecticide choices; staff reiterated the product in use and its safety measures.

Ending

Councilors thanked staff for the detailed briefing and raised interest in public outreach materials and possible behind‑the‑scenes tours of the lab during peak season. Dearman offered to make himself available for public talks and educational events and encouraged council members to contact his office with questions about the season’s schedule.