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County vector-control crew details fogging; beekeepers and residents press for targeted notifications
Summary
Dona Ana County Vector Control told Mesilla trustees about surveillance, larvicide treatments and ULV fogging using PermXUL 4-4; residents asked for reduced blanket fogging and better notifications to protect bees, pets and beneficial insects.
Dona Ana County Vector Control staff on Aug. 25 presented the department's mosquito-surveillance and treatment program to the Mesilla Board of Trustees, describing larvicide work, distribution of mosquito-eating fish for ponds and truck-mounted ultra-low-volume (ULV) fogging for adult mosquitoes.
Rolando Casas, recently promoted to supervisor for the county vector-control team, described methods used in Mesilla: placing traps to identify species, treating standing water with growth-regulator granules or a mineral-oil coating, releasing mosquito-eating fish in larger ponding areas, and calibrated truck-mounted fogging runs in cooler hours. "So our treatments ... consist of the primary surveillance program," Casas said, describing how species counts guide responses.
Casas and Robert Herrera, director of facilities and services for Dona Ana County, said the primary fogging product used in the county is PermXUL 4-4 (identified in the presentation as 4 percent permethrin with a PBO synergist). Presenters emphasized applicator licensing and oversight by the New Mexico Department of Agriculture (NMDA) and described protocols to avoid bees: registered beekeepers are added to an app so crews avoid known hives and technicians will stop operations if bees are observed.
Several residents urged the county to limit broad street fogging and to give advance notice so pet owners can protect animals. "That seems excessive to me," resident Trina Witter said after hearing the county's recommendation that treatments may occur as often as every three days if surveillance shows active mosquitoes. Trustees and staff said they would work to publicize the county app and that county staff provided pamphlets and contact information to the town.
Why it matters: Mosquito control is a routine public-health function, but in Mesilla trustees and residents highlighted community concerns about nontarget impacts on bees, lacewings and cats, and asked the county for better targeted treatment and resident notification.
The county said it would coordinate with town staff to update maps in the app and to work with beekeepers who register their hives; the county also noted that fogging efficacy is limited to the short period while fogging is in the air, and that larval-source management remains the primary control strategy.
