SF Mosquito Spraying Scheduled

SIOUX FALLS, SD - The wet weather has saturated the ground, and it's giving mosquitoes the perfect place to live.  That's been the case in Sioux Falls. Health officials say a few weeks of rain paired with humidity, batches of mosquitoes sprouted up over this past weekend within the city.  Now, they're taking steps to cut down on the biting bugs. 

"It's just been absolutely perfect for mosquitoes," Denise Van Roekel with the Health Department said.

Health officials have been tracking the mosquito population in the city, and say some areas are seeing a 10-fold increase in the insects. And the fresh, hungry bugs are looking for a bite.

"That's the kind of mosquito that emerges right after the rains or floods. That's their biology, that's how it works," Van Roekel said.

Parts of northern and southern Sioux Falls have experienced the highest jumps in mosquito numbers. But the city is biting back, spraying those areas Wednesday night and Thursday. And starting as soon as Monday, the rest of the city will be sprayed.

Van Roekel says the spraying is scheduled to be most effective, targeting the mosquito population as it hatches.

"We have to support our spraying with science. It's a very expensive and timely process to do a spray, and we want to make sure we're doing it so that the public can get the absolute best benefit out of it," Van Roekel said.

And she's hoping those steps will take a bite out of the bugs population for the summer.

Health officials say you'll still want to take steps to prevent mosquito bites.  That involves wearing bug spray, long sleeves when possible, and limit your exposure outdoors.

You can find the spraying schedule through the Vector/Mosquito Control website.

[June 23, 2010 Spraying Information]