Edinburg Launches Mosquito Control Efforts, Urges Residents to Drain, Dress, and Defend

Edinburg, Mosquito Control, Public Health, Solid Waste Management, Fight the Bite, Edinburg TX

Staff Report

EDINBURG TX – The City of Edinburg Department of Solid Waste Management is actively conducting mosquito control efforts across the city and is urging residents to take steps to reduce mosquito breeding around their homes and businesses.

The city is targeting the mosquito population through mechanical means including larviciding, draining standing water, and trimming and clearing vegetation along public rights of way. The department conducts surveys tracking the presence, type, and quantity of adult mosquitoes in an area through call tracking and land count surveys to guide its response plan.

Residents are advised to follow the city’s three-step prevention approach:

Drain — Remove standing water from around the home. Common sources include bird baths, buckets, pet bowls, plant pots, pools, puddles, rain gutters, and rooftops. The city notes it only takes a bottle cap’s worth of standing water to cause a mosquito problem.

Dress — Wear long pants and long sleeves when practical. Loose-fitting, light-colored clothing is recommended. Studies show some mosquitoes can bite more readily through tight-fitting or loose-weave clothing and are more attracted to dark clothing.

Defend — Use EPA-registered repellants that have been reviewed and approved to pose minimal risk when used properly. Recommended repellants include Deet, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, and Picaridin.

The city noted that all spray response measures are conducted weather permitting, requiring no rain and winds below 10 mph.

Residents can report mosquito activity by calling the Department of Solid Waste Management at (956) 381-5635 or through the city’s 311 app. The department is located at 8601 N. Jasman Road, Edinburg, TX 78542.

Source – City of Edinburg Department of Solid Waste Management

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