If you’re looking for places to escape the mosquito invasion this summer, then head out to your nearest Oxford Township park.
On Monday, the St. Clair Shores-based Tri-County Pest Control began spraying Stony Lake Park, Seymour Lake Park and Powell Lake Park with an insecticide aimed at controlling the adult mosquito population, which is the main carrier of the West Nile Virus.
According to Treasurer Joe Ferrari, the township has contracted with Tri-County Pest Control to spray all three township parks once a week between now and mid-October.
The contractor, a family owned and operated business, has more than 40 years experience in its field.
The 16-week contract carries a price tag of $16,705, which will be covered by a 50-50 mixture of township and county funds, Ferrari said.
Oakland County recently allocated $8,591 to the township to control the mosquito population this summer in an effort to prevent the spread of West Nile Virus.
The spraying is being conducted between 11 p.m and 6 a.m. (when the parks are closed) and all residents who live within 1,000 feet of each park are being notified of the action via a letter from the township.
According to Chuck Baker, owner of Tri-County Pest Control, the insecticide being used on the parks is called Permethrin, which is ‘one of the top three insecticides approved? by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
According to the EPA’s website (www.epa.gov), ‘Permethrin has been registered by EPA since 1977. It is currently registered and sold in a number of products such as household insect foggers and sprays, tick and flea sprays for yards, flea dips and sprays for cats and dogs, termite treatments, agricultural and livestock products, and mosquito abatement products.?
The brand of Permethrin that Tri-County Pest Control is using is called Permanone. Baker said this is the same brand Florida has been ‘using for decades? in it’s mosquito control programs and is considered the ‘most common? and ‘very safe.?
Permethrin is part of a group of synthetic chemical insecticides classified as Pyrethroids.
The EPA’s website addresses Pyrethroids? affects on human health ? ‘Pyrethroids can be used for public health mosquito control programs without posing unreasonable risks to human health when applied according to the label. Pyrethroids are considered to pose slight risks of acute toxicity to humans, but at high doses, pyrethroids can affect the nervous system.?
Baker explained that although Permethrin has ‘high killing strength? when applied to mosquitoes, the ‘toxicity level to humans and pets is very miniscule.?
The insecticide usually dissipates about a day after its applied, Baker said.
The EPA website also addresses Pyrethroids? affects on wildlife and the environment ? ‘Pyrethroids used in mosquito control programs do not pose unreasonable risks to wildlife or the environment. Pyrethroids, when applied at mosquito control rates, are low in toxicity to mammals, and are practically nontoxic to birds. Mosquito control formulations of permethrin break down in the environment, and high temperatures and sunlight accelerate this process. However, pyrethroids are toxic to fish and to bees. For that reason, EPA has established specific precautions on the label to reduce such risks, including restrictions that prohibit the direct application of products to open water or within 100 feet of lakes, streams, rivers or bays.?
In addition to weekly spraying, low areas, catch basins and stagnant waters at the parks will be routinely treated using Methoprene briquettes, an EPA-approved larvicide designed to kill mosquitoes in their larval stage before they can become airborne adults.
The EPA website describes Methoprene as ‘a compound first registered by EPA in 1975 that mimics the action of an insect growth-regulating hormone and prevents the normal maturation of insect larvae. It is applied to water to kill mosquito larvae, and it may be used along with other mosquito control measures in an IPM program. Altosid is the name of the methoprene product used in mosquito control and is applied as briquets (similar in form to charcoal briquets), pellets, sand granules, and liquids. The liquid and pelletized formulations can be applied by helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft.?
Baker said the briquets time release the larvicide over a 150-day period.
As for as its effects on people, the EPA states, ‘Methoprene, used for mosquito control according to its label directions, does not pose unreasonable risks to human health. In addition to posing low toxicity to mammals, there is little opportunity for human exposure, since the material is applied directly to ditches, ponds, marshes, or flooded areas that are not drinking water sources.?
As far as non-humans are concerned, ‘Methoprene, used in mosquito control programs, does not pose unreasonable risks to wildlife or the environment. Toxicity of methoprene to birds and fish is low, and it is nontoxic to bees. Methoprene breaks down quickly in water and soil and will not leach into ground water. Methoprene mosquito control products present minimal acute and chronic risk to freshwater fish, freshwater invertebrates, and estuarine species.?
Residents who have any questions pertaining to the above chemcials used by Tri-County Pest Control can call the company at (248) 540-4445.