| Scott A. Berg, 5th District Alderman, Brookfield, Wisconsin |
Mosquito Control
SummaryBrookfield is pioneer in Wisconsin in mosquito control, using a new type of larvicide. Unfortunately, mosquitoes fly across city boundaries and no one else in the area has a similar program. Alderman Berg initially supported the program as an experiment and as a way to inspire surrounding cities to help out. In 2002, Alderman Berg voted against the program since he believed the first year’s results showed the program was a waste of money. In 2003, Alderman Berg voted for the program since the public outcry over West Nile Virus was so intense.
Click here for Brookfield's official 2005 report on the mosquito control program (PDF, 9.7M)
Click here for Brookfield's 2006 Mosquito Abatement status report (PDF, 207K)
Click here to Brookfield's 2005 permit application for mosquito abatement (PDF, 260K)
Click here for academic research on Vectolex (PDF, 1.2M)
Ald. Berg has voted FOR mosquito abatement on:
April 5, 2005 (consent agenda item)
April 4, 2006 (consent agenda item)
and AGAINST it on:
Specific Concerns
We're killing the wrong kind of mosquito. Of the 2,500 species of mosquitoes found world wide, about fifty species live in Wisconsin. The overwhelming majority (>80%) of attacks on humans in Wisconsin (according to Phil Pelliterri, Ph.D. of UW-Extension) are by genus Aedes mosquitoes, usually Aedes Vexans. Aedes has a distinctive lifestyle of breeding in small ponds left over from rainstorms, lying dormant for a long period, then hatching at a future rainstorm. Aedes rarely frequent swamps. Vecto-Lex, the larvicide based on the Bacillus sphaericus bacterium and in use in Brookfield, primarily targets genus Culex mosquitoes, which live almost exclusively in stagnant water areas such as swamps. Thus, you are killing a species of mosquito that lives in a very restricted area and doesn’t bother people anyway, while ignoring the real pest.
The program is too limited in area to be effective. While many government programs become boondoggles by spending too much money attempting to solve too many problems, this program is doomed by spending too little money to solve too restricted a problem. Aedes mosquitoes are strong fliers and can travel up to 20 miles from the hatching site. Killing all the Aedes mosquitoes in Brookfield is largely irrelevant since they will just be replaced with mosquitoes from as far to the east as Lake Michigan and as far from the west as Oconomowoc. Effective abatement programs such as those in Minneapolis and St. Louis rely on regional commissions to lead a wide spread effort. Culex mosquitoes are weak flyers, rarely traveling more than 1 mile from their matching site. These two facts alone leave the City open to charges of using the program to control Mitchell Park mosquitoes while ignoring the rest of the city’s plight. To truly be effective, the program must extend into the entire Milwaukee metropolitan area and should include areas of temporary ponds, such as roadside ditches and vacant lots.
The city is building massive breeding grounds for mosquitoes at the same time it is trying to kill them. At the same time that the City is spending more than $100,000 (albeit largely reimbursed by a Wisconsin DNR grant) to kill mosquitoes, it is forcing developers to spend millions of dollars to build floodwater retention and detention ponds. On-site floodwater storage, which is wet only immediately after a rainstorm, is an ideal breeding grounds for the Aedes type of mosquito. Why are the left and right hands fighting each other?
This program is not part of an integrated pest management project. IPM is widely recognized as being a safe and very effective means of controlling undesirable insects. In fact, Brookfield is using IPM principles in combating another insect, the Gypsy Moth. Yet, there has been no mention of vegetation control (mow the lawn), cleaning up debris (abandoned tires are a classic example), using personal protective measures (e.g. DEET based sprays), repairing window screens, etc. Contrary to popular belief, electric bug zappers are not effective against mosquitoes. Many Brookfield residents are expecting this program to be a silver bullet that absolves them of any work or responsibility, which is just setting the program up for disappointment.
There is no overwhelming public health concern over the mosquitoes, but there is over the control measures. I am not aware of any cases of encephalitis, malaria, yellow fever, West Nile Virus or other disease in Brookfield where the mosquito has been identified as the vector. Thus, the compelling public health argument used in St. Louis, etc. doesn’t apply here. Making the comparison between a huge regional program and a very modest local one is comparing apples and oranges. However, I have heard a lot of concern by residents, and in the DNR’s own report, over the safety of the materials to be used by the abatement program.
The use of Permethrin only highlights the inadequacies of the overall program. While the use of the pesticide Permethrin is widely allowed, there is some evidence of toxicity. In any event, it shows the importance of a comprehensive program using some of the previously listed techniques. If anything, it underscores the need for more regulation in this narrow topic of insect control, not less.
References
MJS - June 11, 2004 - Bulked-up Mosquitoes Out for Blood
MJS - October 18, 2001 - Brookfield Mosquito Plan Draws Scrutiny
MJS - June 29, 2000 - Brookfield Alone in Mosquito Battle
MJS - June 27, 2000 - Mosquitoes Keep up the Attack
MJS - May 13, 2000 - Mosquito Program Deserves a Try (Editorial)