Pest‑abatement worker says county treated about 55 miles and used 3,442 pounds of bait

Madison Skinner, pest‑abatement staff in the county community development office, told commissioners she spent the summer monitoring and treating cricket swarms across Elko County, focusing treatments near populated areas such as Hamilton Stage and Spring Creek. "In total, I've done about, 55 miles worth treatment and about 3,442 pounds of bait were used," she said.

Skinner described targeted, single‑pass ground treatments using a carbaryl bait to reduce cricket concentrations before they moved into town. She said the program limited repeat treatments in the same area "to be sure we were being safe with the bait," and that most detections were in weed‑rows and rural edges rather than dense residential cores. Staff noted this is the program's second year and that improved GIS reporting from the state Department of Agriculture helped locate concentrations.

Commissioners asked whether spraying rather than baiting could be used earlier in the season; staff replied the county currently lacks licensed personnel and spraying equipment, and that creating capacity is a purpose of the planned weed‑and‑pest district. The discussion concluded with a brief operational note: field crews tracked treated locations and planned follow‑ups where initial single passes did not achieve full control.