Town of Newport
Public Works Department
Mosquito Control Program
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I do to help control mosquito populations?
The best thing you can do to help control mosquito populations is to remove their habitat. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in water and their young are raised in water so if you remove the water you remove a breeding source. So check around the outside of your house for any containers that may be holding water and empty them. Also check for tree holes, ruts, or ditches that may hold water. Fill in anything like tree holes or ruts and keep your ditch free of debris and flowing. Mosquitoes cannot breed in flowing water.
How do you control mosquitoes?
We use larvacide that kills mosquitoes when they are young. Adulticide is used to kill the adult mosquitoes. Adulticide is usually sprayed out of a machine behind a truck. Mechanical controls are things such as digging ditches or filling in low spots in your yard.
When do you larvacide?
We larvacide in early spring in order to kill mosquitoes throughout the spring, summer and most of the fall.
When do you spray?
We spray based on complaints in order to keep the cost of the Mosquito Control Program down since the spray is very expensive and it has very little residual effect.
What kind of chemicals do you use for mosquito control?
We use a products that contain a chemical family called pyrethroids in our adulticiding activities. Pyrethroids are a synthetic form of a chemical found in chrysanthemums called pyrethrin. Our chemicals are water based, low odor and non-corrosive, unlike malathion which is very corrosive and smells like rotten eggs. More information can be found on pyrethroids here. We use three types of products to control larval mosquitoes. The first is methoprene which is an insect growth regulator. This product works by keeping mosquitoes in a larval or pupa form. Only adult female mosquitoes bite, so if they stay in the water they can't bite. We also use monomolecular films as a "quick-fix" for larva due to the way that they work. The last product we use is a naturally occurring bacteria called BTI (Bacillus thuringiensis israelenis). We also use this as a quick fix for mosquito control because of the window of opportunity to use this product is somewhat short. The EPA has more information on all of these larvacides here.
Are the chemicals you use safe for the environment and what kind of things can I do that are safe?
We try to use the most environmentally friendly chemicals possible. You can always tip out old containers or throw them away. You can also transport mosquito fish from a local ditch into a pond or water feature in your yard. Dragonflies are also an important control method because they eat mosquitoes in their larval and adult forms. Check out our links page to find out more.
Can you spray for biting flies or gnats?
Unfortunately our chemicals are not labeled for biting flies so it would be a violation of Federal law to apply them. Also the thermodynamic properties on which the spray machines are based would not allow the mist sprayed to react properly in the atmosphere.
Questions or Comments? Email us at newportpwd@eastnc.twcbc.com or call (252)223-3902