Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Parish mosquito control director outlines science-based spraying, urges support for reduced millage renewal
Summary
St. Tam Parish mosquito abatement director Dr. Kevin Cayuette told the Covington City Council the program uses trap-based surveillance and targeted treatments and asked residents to support a millage renewal June 27 that would lower the rate from prior levels to 2.95 mills; he warned that last year nine parish residents had West Nile neuroinvasive disease.
Dr. Kevin Cayuette, Director of the St. Tam Parish mosquito abatement program, told the Covington City Council on June 2 that the district relies on trap-based surveillance, species identification and genetic testing to target spraying and larvicide treatments rather than treating on a fixed schedule.
"We set traps at about 130 locations every week," Cayuette said, describing the program’s lab work and its role in deciding when trucks or aircraft will spray. He said the data allow the district to limit environmental impacts by treating only where surveillance shows a need.
The presentation doubled as outreach ahead of a millage renewal scheduled for June 27. Cayuette said the renewal would reduce the district’s requested rate to 2.95 mills (down from a previously levied 4.2 mills) and that, using local estimates, roughly $60 of the median $300,000 house tax bill currently funds the service.
"Just in our parish alone, nine people last year developed West Nile neuroinvasive disease," Cayuette said, explaining the public-health rationale for the program’s activities and the need to maintain surveillance and response capacity.
Council members questioned potential non-target impacts, including bees and termites, and whether new sterile-male approaches used elsewhere could apply locally. Cayuette said the agency performs outreach to beekeepers, sprays at night when bees are largely in hives, uses very fine droplets calibrated to affect flying mosquitoes and employs larvicide pellets to control offspring at source rather than broad surface applications.
He also described responsiveness protocols: residents who report a problem via the district’s outreach tools can receive an inspection (generally within 24 hours) and targeted treatment if warranted.
Why it matters: The renewal would fund ongoing surveillance and response that the agency says reduces the risk of mosquito-borne disease in the parish while aiming to limit insecticide use to verified problem areas. The council used the presentation as an informational item; the funding decision will come from the June 27 millage vote in the parish.
Next steps: The mosquito abatement district will continue outreach ahead of the June 27 renewal; council members encouraged residents to consult the district’s QR-code materials and report problem sites for inspection.
