In 1993, the Village of Downers Grove initiated an innovative approach to mosquito abatement. This has resulted in improved service and reduced costs, enabling us to "work smarter."

The approach consists of educating ourselves to bring the mosquito abatement function in-house rather than contracting with an outside company to do the work. We accomplished this by hiring and training a seasonal intern to administer the program. The duties of the intern include inspecting and larviciding all mosquito larvae sites, investigating resident complaints and monitoring the adult mosquito population through the use of New Jersey Light traps. Though Clarke Environmental Mosquito Management, Inc. supplies the training for the intern, the insecticides, supplemental control services and technical support, the use of the intern gives the Village "hands on" control of the program.

One of the first things we discovered was that a significant amount of money could be saved by hiring a summer intern to perform the routine inspections of the many breeding sites located within the Village; work which was previously done by an outside contractor. In 1994, the Village would have paid approximately $30,000 for the collection of the New Jersey Light traps and the inspection and chemical treatment of the 199 potential breeding sites. Including the training and salary of the intern and the cost of chemicals purchased for use by the intern, the Village of Downers Grove saved over $22,500 or more than 75% in mosquito abatement costs.

The control of mosquito larvae is critical to the success of any mosquito abatement program. According to the Illinois Mosquito and Vector Control Association, "a strong larviciding program is a prerequisite for any effective mosquito control organization, Adulticiding should be considered a supplement to rather than a substitute for larviciding." ¹ In other words, an important goal in any mosquito abatement program is to kill and control the larvae, not just the adult mosquitoes. To this end, our intern spends a majority of the work day checking potential breeding sites for mosquito larvae. This provides us with first-hand knowledge of the amount of breeding actually taking place throughout the Village. If larvae are found in the water, the intern will spray the surface of the water with chemical to kill the larvae before they hatch into adult mosquitoes.

A further benefit is the extent of knowledge we have gained in other areas affecting mosquito abatement. For example, we now know that weather conditions are important and must be carefully evaluated when deciding to order a spray for the Village. Ultra-low volume spraying should not be performed if temperatures are below 60 degrees F. Wind velocities should be less than or equal to 10 mph for spraying to occur. Any threats or forecasts of rain will also prevent or cancel a spray.

Over the years the Village has learned more and more about mosquito control. Even allowing for disparate weather conditions which obviously cause the number of sprays to vary from year to year, we have seen the number of sprays drop dramatically. During the 1980s the Village ordered anywhere from four to ten sprays in one season. During the 1990s the highest number of sprays ordered for one season is three. Residential spraying has been limited only to periods of excessive annoyance.

Through hiring and training an intern to administer our mosquito abatement program, the Village of Downers Grove has developed a more effective approach to this program while cutting costs. •

1. The Vector Control Bulletin of the North Central States, December 1994, Vol. 3, No. 2.

April 1995 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 7