Jonesboro committee reviews vector control report showing marked drop in mosquito collections
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Summary
Committee members reviewed a vector-control report showing mosquito collections at sample sites fell from 217 in May 2024 to 43 in May 2025, while miles and acreage treated rose substantially.
Committee members reviewed a vector mosquito-control report that compared May 2024 and May 2025 field sampling and operational activity. According to the summary presented at the meeting, mosquito collections at sample sites fell from 217 in May 2024 to 43 in May 2025, a roughly 80% reduction. The report also shows miles sprayed rose from 97 in May 2024 to 329 in May 2025, and treated acreage increased from about 3,500 acres to approximately 12,000 acres.
The presenter said the reduction in collected mosquitoes likely reflects heavier applications this year and referenced an ASU department of entomology study that was used to refine treatment practices. Committee members discussed timing for aerial spraying, with Councilmember McLean and a staff member indicating aerial applications typically occur in July or August and could be expected in the next 30 to 45 days.
Members also discussed the mosquito-control contract. A staff member said the current contract originated in 2019 with automatic renewals and is expected to go out for bid for next year's service; the city will prepare a bid packet and consider what requirements to include. One committee member urged that a future bid packet include clearer performance metrics — flyover counts, square miles covered and other measurable outputs — so bidders can be compared.
Committee members praised recent neighborhood cleanups and code-enforcement work removing tires and other breeding sources. A staff member cited published studies and said a single tire can produce very large numbers of mosquitoes over a breeding season; staff quoted figures up to 100,000 mosquitoes per tire in study findings. No new policy or contract award was decided at the meeting; members discussed possible collaboration with county vector-control counterparts to target nuisance pests more broadly.
The report and discussion took place during "other business"; public comment on the item was not recorded. The committee did not set a specific follow-up date for bid issuance or a public hearing on the mosquito-control contract during the session.