Mosquito Fogging Operations
The City of Sheridan also provides adult mosquito control for the community. Adult control is conducted by an Ultra Low Volume (ULV) fogging unit mounted on the back of a truck. ULV sprayers dispense very fine aerosol droplets that stay aloft and kill flying mosquitoes on contact. ULV applications involve small quantities of pesticide active ingredients per area treated, this minimizes exposure and risks to people and the environment. The adulticide product the City of Sheridan uses for its adulticide operations is a Pyrethroid insecticide known as Permethrin. Pyrethroids have been utilized in mosquito control practices since the 1970’s, thus there have been many studies conducted on them. The EPA has determined that pyrethroids can be used for public health mosquito control programs without posing risks to human health. The EPA has also determined that when applied correctly, pyrethroids do not pose unreasonable risks to wildlife or the environment. However, pyrethroids can be toxic to fish, certain other insects and bees. Due to these potential non-targets, care needs to be taken when fogging around apiaries and our Goose Creek Watershed. Buffer zones surrounding any apiaries and waterways will be followed to label standards during adulticide operations. If you have an apiary please contact the Mosquito Hotline and register your apiary with the Wyoming Department of Agriculture.
Some people have been found to have an allergy or sensitivity to pyrethroids. If you are sensitive to the product or if you want to request a No Spray Zone at your home please contact the Mosquito Hotline at 307-655-8297.
It is the goal of the City of Sheridan Weed and Pest to minimize pesticide use as much as possible. Thus mosquito fogging will not occur on a regularly scheduled basis; rather it will be implemented when tolerance levels become unacceptable in a certain zone. Currently the City of Sheridan is broken up into 3 zones. Each zone has a designated day of the week. To determine which zone you are in please look at the map provided below. Fogging operations occur during peak mosquito activity, which occurs 1-2 hours before and after sunset. Other factors that must be considered are wind speeds and potential for rain. Both wind and rain can prevent adulticide fogging from occurring.
Resources:
Pyrethroids: EPA Guide
Apiary Registration Regulations
Wyoming: West Nile Virus
Home Owner's Mosquito Control