By Stephanie Johns
Staff Writer

The City of Madison is again applying mosquito spray.
City Manager David Nunn said they began using the ultra low-volume sprayer Monday night around dusk–the wind was down–and spraying will continue for the next two to three weeks.
Total cost for this application will be well under $5,000, including the spray itself as well as the overtime labor to apply it.
“The chemicals will last well past this year, this season and well into next season,” Nunn said. “It will cost way less than $5,000, probably less than $4,000. The total will depend on the number of applications.”
Nunn explained that the applications are subject to the weather.
“We may have to double up one night or may miss a week,” he said. “It just depends. Hopefully, it will go ahead as scheduled.”
Residents may recall that the city sprayed for mosquitos a couple of years ago but chose not to spray for them last year.
“It just depends on how much rainfall we get, what the environment is like and how many complaints we get,” Nunn said. “This year we’re getting quite a few.”
When asked if the complaints had anything to do with the reports of the West Nile virus in Texas, Nunn said, “It certainly has some to do with that. Mosquitos are not healthy and we want to make Madison a healthy, pleasant environment as we possibly can.”
Nunn explained that the approved sprayer will pump out a very, very fine mist on approximately 25 percent of the city each night.
As for the time of day they will spray–beginning at dusk–Nunn said, “Spraying at dusk is most effective based on the information we have.”
On Mondays and Tuesdays the mosquito spray will be applied along the same route as the solid waste route.
Pearl, Mapp, Wellington and Burney streets, and around the middle school will be sprayed on Mondays.
On Tuesdays the spray will be applied along Belmont and Harris streets, Four Lake, Cedar and Veranda Park drives, as well as along Village Road.
The spray will be applied along Pine, Plum and Poplar streets, as well as Skyline Drive and Park Lane on Wednesdays.
On Thursdays the spray will be applied along Washington Street over to Main Street near the Cultural Center, as well as along Williams Street, Park and Maxeys lanes.
The spray will not be applied on Fridays because more events are held on Fridays and more people are out on those nights.
In years past the spray was applied city-wide in one night, a process that Nunn said took up to five hours. The shorter time span is just as effective and has the added benefit of running the noisy machine prior to citizens’ bedtimes.

Printed in the September 13 edition.